The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) empowered ICE to crack down on immigration attorneys who facilitate fraudulent asylum claims in a Tuesday memo.
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“For years, MILLIONS of illegal aliens have committed fraud in our immigration system — and no place is this more rampant than in immigration court,” said the DHS.
“Now, thanks to this directive, @ICEgov attorneys have greater authority to enforce the law and STOP the abuse of our asylum system by illegal aliens and attorneys,” they added.
The memo issued new directives to ICE, ordering them to develop additional anti-fraud policies to enforce laws against immigration documentation fraud.
The directive grants ICE’s attorneys greater authority to enforce the law, and allows them to take action against immigration attorneys who file false asylum claims on behalf of illegal immigrants.
“Protection claims like asylum are intended to cover unique and narrow circumstances, but it is standard practice for immigration attorneys representing illegal aliens to assert that virtually every illegal alien is going to be persecuted or tortured in his or her home country,” said DHS General Counsel Hames Percival.
“Historically, ICE has depended on the discipline of immigration judges and the enforcement of criminal fraud laws to deter this conduct, but ICE has its own tools. Now, thanks to this directive, ICE attorneys have greater authority to enforce the law and stop the abuse of our asylum system by illegal aliens and attorneys,” he added.
The new memo comes in conjunction with President Donald Trump’s March memorandum directing the Attorney General and DHS to prioritize enforcement against immigration attorneys facilitating fraud.
Attorneys found to have violated immigration law can face significant financial penalties.
