(The Center Square) – A multi-agency investigation has uncovered massive immigration fraud in the Minneapolis and St. Paul region, federal authorities said.
Federal investigators with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted a targeted fraud operation over a 10-day-period called Operation Twin Shield in the Twin Cities region. It was the first time USCIS dedicated resources at this scale in a single geographical area. it said.
The first of its kind operation targeted a “surge of fraud detection and deterrence activities” in the Twin Cities region. After performing roughly 1,000 site visits, agents uncovered an initial 275 suspected cases of immigration fraud.
“What they found should shock all of America,” USCIS Director Joseph Edlow said at a press conference.
They found evidence of “blatant marriage fraud, visa overstays, people claiming to work in businesses that can’t be found, forged documents, abuse of the H1B visa system, abuse of the F1 visas, and many other discrepancies,” he said.
They also found “non-compliance or public safety and national security concerns in nearly … 50% of the cases,” he said. One includes “troubling patterns with the Uniting for Ukraine program that should have raised serious concerns” under the Biden administration. Examples include one individual and one organization each applying to sponsor more than 100 Ukrainians; these cases are being investigated.
Others include “an alien who had overstayed his visa waiver who was the son of a known or suspected terrorist on the no-fly list” who was found to have engaged in marriage fraud. The marriage fraud charge resulted in immigration benefit denials but not deportation. Under the Trump administration, the individual was arrested and “is now presently being returned to his country of origin,” Edlow said.
In another case, a Kenyan national obtained a fake death certificate in Kenya “for just $100 to prove he was no longer married,” Edlow said. “In reality his wife is alive, living here in Minneapolis and is the mother of five of his children.” He is also married to a woman living in Sweden with whom he has three children, investigators found.
In another case, an illegal foreign national who was released into the country in 2023 by the Biden administration was identified by the Trump administration to be deported and claimed to marry a U.S. citizen during his removal proceedings, Edlow said. He was interviewed at the Minneapolis Saint Paul USCIS field office last week and officials were suspicious of the claim. They conducted a site visit and on the same day the U.S. citizen admitted the marriage was fraudulent. “This type of same day action … has really never happened before,” Edlow said.
In another case, an illegal alien allegedly engaged in marriage fraud by taking advantage of an elderly U.S. citizen; investigators found evidence of elder abuse and exploitation, he said.
The investigation was an outworking of an executive order President Donald Trump issued earlier this year, “Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threat.” Investigators reviewed applications for immigration benefits, marriage and family-based petitions, employment authorizations, and certain parole-related requests.
As a result of their investigation, USCIS issued Notices to Appear or referred illegal foreign nationals to ICE in 42 cases; four were apprehended. Additional NTAs, ICE referrals and adverse adjudicative actions are expected.
“USCIS is declaring an all-out war on immigration fraud. We will relentlessly pursue everyone involved in undermining the integrity of our immigration system and laws. With help from ICE and the FBI, USCIS’ Operation Twin Shield was a tremendous success – hundreds of bad actors will be held accountable,” Edlow said. “Immigration fraud undermines the integrity of our lawful immigration system, harms those who follow the law, and poses risks to national security and public safety. Under President Trump, we will leave no stone unturned.”
Under the Biden administration, foreign nationals were not fully vetted, prompting national security concerns especially at U.S. airports. USCIS officials also released thousands of juveniles with ties to gangs and terrorists into the country, The Center Square reported.
“USCIS immigration officers are now empowered to thoroughly vet aliens as required by law, and to pursue immigration fraud wherever it’s encountered,” USCIS said.
