Posts
Eleven people in New York, mainly Chinese nationals, have been indicted in what authorities describe as a massive sham marriage network that allegedly turned the American immigration system into something resembling a decade-long dating service for people who were not actually looking for love.
The alleged operation ran for roughly 10 years and arranged more than 1,000 phony marriages, allegedly for the sole purpose of obtaining legal status in the United States. Some customers were reportedly willing to pay more than $100,000 for the privilege of participating in the scheme.
"Gaining American citizenship and legal status to reside in this great nation is a sacred privilege, and we will ensure it is always done in accordance with the law, protecting our communities and national security,” Attorney General Todd Blanche said Wednesday at a news conference.
"This scheme was not a quick fly-by-night operation, but rather a year's long multimillion dollar cottage industry to criminally assist people," he said.
The Wednesday indictments were filed entirely in New York City, but the Justice Department said the alleged sham marriages extended well beyond the Big Apple, with suspected activity in Massachusetts, Kentucky, Tennessee, several other states, China and Vanuatu, wherever that is.
Under the alleged arrangement, American citizens could receive as much as $30,000, paid in smaller installments throughout the process. Recruiters reportedly received about $5,000 for every American citizen they successfully brought into the operation.
U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald for the Southern District of New York told conservative media outlet Townhall that Americans were recruited through social media, including advertisements that may have been deceptive on their face.
So much for "love at first sight." Apparently, the real matchmaking algorithm was Facebook, cash and an immigration attorney.
"As alleged, this decade-long scheme turned marriage fraud into an international business model arranging countless sham marriages and causing hundreds of fraudulent Green Card applications to be submitted to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services,” Acting Executive Associate Director John Condon of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) said in a statement.
"This scheme was not a quick fly-by-night operation, but rather a year's long multimillion dollar cottage industry to criminally assist people," he said.
The Wednesday indictments were filed entirely in New York City, but the Justice Department said the alleged sham marriages extended well beyond the Big Apple, with suspected activity in Massachusetts, Kentucky, Tennessee, several other states, China and Vanuatu, wherever that is.
Under the alleged arrangement, American citizens could receive as much as $30,000, paid in smaller installments throughout the process. Recruiters reportedly received about $5,000 for every American citizen they successfully brought into the operation.
U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald for the Southern District of New York told conservative media outlet Townhall that Americans were recruited through social media, including advertisements that may have been deceptive on their face.
So much for "love at first sight." Apparently, the real matchmaking algorithm was Facebook, cash and an immigration attorney.
"As alleged, this decade-long scheme turned marriage fraud into an international business model arranging countless sham marriages and causing hundreds of fraudulent Green Card applications to be submitted to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services,” Acting Executive Associate Director John Condon of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) said in a statement.
“Through the Homeland Security Task Force, HSI and our partners will continue to dismantle criminal networks that undermine the rule of law, exploit federal laws, and profit from fraud.”
The case is a reminder that America's immigration system is not supposed to operate on the principle that anyone with enough money and a sufficiently creative story gets to skip the line.
For millions of immigrants who followed the rules, waited their turn and pursued citizenship legally, these alleged schemes do more than commit fraud. They undermine the very system that lawful immigrants worked so hard to navigate.
The American Dream is still available. Apparently, the Justice Department would just prefer people obtain it legally.
Tweet
The case is a reminder that America's immigration system is not supposed to operate on the principle that anyone with enough money and a sufficiently creative story gets to skip the line.
For millions of immigrants who followed the rules, waited their turn and pursued citizenship legally, these alleged schemes do more than commit fraud. They undermine the very system that lawful immigrants worked so hard to navigate.
The American Dream is still available. Apparently, the Justice Department would just prefer people obtain it legally.
I want to thank you for following Brain Flushings. Please take time to simply check out the sponsors on this page--it's one way to support my work and you don't need to purchase anything to do so. Of course, you can Buy Me A Coffee if you want to support me directly. And finally, don't be afraid to subscribe if you enjoy the blog--it's free, and worth the cost.
