Marriage fraud - False Immigration Paternity Test

June 3, 2010

Colombian national found guilty of mariage fraud

ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands - A 34-year-old Colombian woman was found guilty June 2 in District Court of marriage fraud related charges following a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) investigation.
According to the evidence presented in court, Dora Bibiana Ramirez Laverde, of Estate Altona, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI), married Joshua Allen Chitolie, a U.S. citizen from St. Croix, USVI, during a civil ceremony in St. Croix.
A few months later, Chitolie filed a visa petition with the Department of Homeland Security's U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to obtain legal permanent resident status for his wife.
While the petition for legal permanent residence was still pending, USCIS learned that Laverde had given birth to a child in order to help establish that her marriage to Chitolie was a bona fide marriage rather than a marriage of convenience in order to circumvent U.S. immigration laws.
USCIS requested Chitolie to submit to a paternity test to prove that he was, in fact, the biological father of the child born to Laverde.
Following testing, the laboratory where the tests were performed sent a copy of the DNA test report and a photo of the male who submitted himself for testing with the child to USCIS. Upon review of the sent material, USCIS noticed that Chitolie was not the person who presented himself for testing.
USCIS interviewed Laverde about the discrepancy where she falsely said that she accompanied her husband Chitolie to the laboratory for the child to be tested. Later in the interview, Laverde admitted that she actually accompanied her boyfriend to the laboratory for the paternity test and that the boyfriend, the actual father of her child, submitted himself for testing using her husband's identity in order to circumvent immigration laws and avoid removal from the United States.
"ICE will not tolerate those who engage in sham marriages to circumvent and exploit our nation's immigration system," said Roberto Escobar-Vargas, acting special agent in charge of ICE's Office of Investigations in Puerto Rico. "Marriage fraud poses a significant vulnerability that must not go unchallenged. ICE aggressively investigates those who take illegal shortcuts to citizenship, whether they do so to gain an immigration benefit or simply for personal profit."
Laverde faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise A. Hinds.

Immigration Paralegal Jobs - Paid and Unpaid Positions

The M.C. Law Group, LLP has a few part-time and full-time internship openings for students immediately available and for the summer of 2010.


Applicants must email a cover letter, a resume, and general hours of availability to info@uslegalvisa.com.

POSITION 1 - LAW STUDENT LEGAL INTERN

Law student interns will work directly with our attorneys on actual cases as legal assistants. Students must have completed or are in the process of completing at least a year of law school.


POSITION 2 – COLLEGE STUDENT INTERN

Aside from typical administrative and clerical duties, interns will perform some limited paralegal tasks and be involved in various public relations projects and duties. Students must have completed or are in the process of completing college, and must have outstanding business and phone etiquette


POSITION 3 - IMMIGRATION PARALEGAL

Part-time position for an experienced paralegal who can take on back office operations responsibilities. Ability to organize a simplified, well-documented and scalable process is a must. Prior experience with immigration law is a must. 


All positions have unlimited opportunities to grow with the firm.  For more information please visit www.uslegalvisa.com

Immigration Fraud English Language School Miami

March 04, 2010

Owner, employee of Miami language school charged with immigration fraud
ICE special agents also administratively arrest 81 student visa violators

MIAMI - The owner/operator of a Miami-based foreign language school and one of its employees were indicted on four counts today for conspiring to commit a criminal offense against the United States, following an investigation by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Miami Office of Investigations.
Miami residents Lydia Menocal, 58, the owner and director of the Florida Language Institute (FLI), and Ofelia Macia, 75, an employee of the school, are suspected of fraudulently sponsoring foreign students by issuing student status to non immigrants without requiring them to maintain a full course of study as mandated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) federal regulations. ICE investigations uncovered that only about 5 percent of FLI students attended class on any given day.
"This school was fraudulently facilitating the issuance of student visas, as well as allowing foreign nationals to fraudulently maintain their student status and remain in the United States," said Anthony V. Mangione, special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in Miami. "One of the lessons learned from the September 11 attacks is that the U.S. government must be vigilant and aggressive in conducting investigations into organizations and persons who seek to exploit and corrupt America's legal immigration system for personal gain."
In November 2007, ICE special agents assigned to the ICE Office of Investigations in Miami Compliance Enforcement Group initiated a criminal investigation dubbed, "Operation Class Dismissed," focused on Menocal and the FLI after they received information that the school was allegedly engaged in fraudulently sponsoring foreign students by issuing I-20 AB (Certificates of Eligibility for non-immigrant, F-1, student status for academics and language students) without requiring the students to attend at least 18 hours of classes per week, as they had agreed to do under federal regulations.
On February 26, Menocal and Macia, were indicted on charges of conspiring to commit an offense against the United States, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371. In addition, Menocal was individually charged with making false statements on immigration documents (which allowed foreign nationals to obtain student visas), and making false statements to an executive branch agency, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1546(a) and 1001(a)(2), respectively. The indictment also seeks the forfeiture of $2.4 million in cash, which represents the proceeds of the criminal activity.
On March 2, ICE special agents executed arrest warrants at the defendants' home and a search warrant at the school, located at 947 S.W. 87th Avenue, Miami, Fla. The defendants made their initial appearances in court the same day and U.S. Magistrate Judge William Turnoff set bond for both defendants. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Court Judge Ursula Ungaro.
If convicted, the defendants face up to five years imprisonment on the conspiracy charge, and Menocal faces up to 10 years imprisonment on the false statement charges.
In addition to the indictment, ICE conducted a three-day operation, which concluded Thursday morning, and resulted in the administrative arrests of 81 student visa violators that purported to be attending FLI from countries including Thailand, Syria, Honduras, South Korea, Japan, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Indonesia, Venezuela, Brazil and Kyrgyzstan, with the majority being from Thailand. Of those 81 arrested administratively, 39 were residing in Miami-Dade County, 27 in Broward County, nine in Palm Beach County, five in Bradenton and one resided in Altamonte Springs, Fla. Eighty individuals arrested remain in ICE custody pending immigration removal proceedings and one was processed for removal and released on her own recognizance. In these cases, ICE agents and officers exercise discretion by releasing aliens on orders of supervision.
Sloman commended the investigative efforts of ICE's Office of Investigations in Miami with the assistance of ICE's Office of Detention and Removal in Miami. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Roy K. Altman and Robert J. Luck.
An indictment is only an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Canadian Alien Smuggling - Heads of Organization Arrested

May 6, 2010

Heads of Canadian alien smuggling organization sentenced

BURLINGTON, Vt. - On May 3, Jose Manuel Galdamez-Serrano, 56, Norvin Gonzalez-Morales, 29, Ruben Damas-Hernandez, 31, and Emmanuel Antonio Galdamez, 27, of Montreal, Quebec, were sentenced in U.S. District Court in Burlington following their guilty pleas to alien smuggling offenses. The defendants were extradited to the United States from Canada to face the charges contained in the indictment.
Chief U.S. District Judge William K. Sessions III sentenced Jose Manual Galdamez-Serrano to 60 months imprisonment and three years of probation following his guilty plea to one count of bringing illegal aliens in the United States for the purpose of commercial advantage and private financial gain. Judge Sessions ordered co-defendants Emmanuel Antonio Galdamez and Ruben Alonzo Damas-Hernandez, each to serve approximately 11 months imprisonment and two years probation following their guilty pleas to conspiracy to smuggle illegal aliens into the United States.
According to court documents, the defendants, collectively known as the Galdamez Organization, conspired to smuggle aliens into the United States from Canada beginning sometime in 2004 until 2007. The Galdamez Organization was primarily consists of family members, with Jose Manuel Galdamez-Serrano as the head, his son Emmanuel Galdamez, and son-in-laws Ruben Damas-Hernandez and Norvin Gonzalez-Morales.
The Galdamez Organization offered aliens smuggling services to other alien smuggling groups and persons who trafficked in human beings and to individuals living in Canada who came from other countries, including but not limited to Central and South America, Pakistan and India, whose destination were the United States. More than 100 aliens were smuggled into the United States by the Galdamez Organization.
The aliens were housed at Galdamez Organization members' homes while awaiting transportation into the United States. They were later driven to areas near the border between Canada and the United States. Galdamez Organization would guide the aliens across the border by foot and at night or directed them where to cross. Other coconspirators involved were from Maryland, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey and New York.
U.S. Attorney Tristram J. Coffin commended the efforts of special agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the U.S. Border Patrol.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara A. Masterson.

I-94 Arrival/Departure Form - Record departure from US

How to record departure from the United States after the fact.

I did not turn in my I-94 when I left the U.S., what should I do?

According to the CBP website (Published 02/24/2004 11:48 AM/Updated 03/26/2010 10:04 AM ) if you returned home with your Form I-94 (white) or Form I-94W (green) Departure Record in your passport, it is possible that your departure was not recorded properly.

If you departed by a commercial air or sea carrier (airlines or cruise ships), your departure from the U.S. can be independently verified, and it is not necessary to take any further action, although holding on to your outbound (from the U.S.) boarding pass - if you still have it - can help expedite your reentry next time you come back to the United States.

If you departed by land, private vessel or private plane, you will need to take steps to correct the record. If you do not validate your timely departure from the United States, or, if you cannot reasonably prove you departed within the time frame given to you when you entered, the next time you apply for admission to the U.S., Customs and Border Protection (CBP) may conclude you remained in the U.S. beyond your authorized stay. If this happens, your visa may be subject to cancellation or you may be returned immediately to your foreign point of origin.

Under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), visitors who remain beyond their permitted stay in the United States cannot reenter the U.S. in the future without obtaining a visa from a U.S. Consulate. So if you are a Visa Waiver Program visitor who traveled by land to either Canada or Mexico for an onward flight, it is particularly important for you to register your timely departure if your green I-94W was not taken when you exited the U.S. If you fail to do so and you arrive at a U.S. port of entry seeking admission under the Visa Waiver Program without a visa, CBP Officers may order your immediate return to a foreign point of origin. If you are a VWP visitor and you left the U.S. by an air or sea carrier, you don't need to worry.

If you failed to turn in your I-94 Departure Record, please send it, along with any documentation that proves you left the United States to:

DHS - CBP SBU

1084 South Laurel Road

London, KY 40744

Do not mail your Form I-94 Departure Record or supporting information to any U.S. Consulate or Embassy, to any other CBP Office in the United States, or to any address other than the one above. Only at this location are we able to make the necessary corrections to CBP records to prevent inconvenience to you in the future. The London, Kentucky office does not answer correspondence, so please do not ask for confirmation that your record has been updated.

To validate departure, CBP will consider a variety of information, including but not limited to:

    * Original boarding passes you used to depart another country, such as Canada, if you flew home from there;
    * Photocopies of entry or departure stamps in your passport indicating entry to another country after you departed the United States (you should copy all passport pages that are not completely blank, and include the biographical page containing your photograph); and
    * Photocopies of other supporting evidence, such as:

    * Dated pay slips or vouchers from your employer to indicate you worked in another country after you departed the United States,
    * Dated bank records showing transactions to indicate you were in another country after you left the United States,
    * School records showing attendance at a school outside the United States to indicate you were in another country after you left the United States, and
    * Dated credit card receipts, showing your name, but, the credit card number deleted, for purchases made after you left the United States to indicate you were in another country after leaving the United States.

To assist us in understanding the situation and correct your records quickly, please include an explanation letter in English. Your statement will not be acceptable without supporting evidence such as noted above. You must mail legible copies or original materials where possible. If you send original materials, you should retain a copy. CBP cannot return original materials after processing.

We strongly urge you to keep a copy of what you send to DHS-CBP and carry it with you the next time you come to the United States in case the CBP Officer has any questions about your eligibility to enter. Carrying those materials with you will also allow your record to be corrected at the time of entry if, for some reason, the London, Kentucky office has not yet done so.

If taking short trips (30 days or less) to Canada, Mexico, or the Caribbean Islands during the course of your visit to the U.S., hold onto your I-94 or I-94 (W); it should only be turned in when you leave the U.S. to return home.

Delays beyond the traveler's control, such as cancelled or delayed flights, medical emergencies requiring a doctor's care, etc. are not considered unauthorized overstays, however, you will need to bring proof of the cause of your overstay next time you travel to the U.S. in order for it to be forgiven. For airline delays, ask the airline for a letter affirming the delay or a copy of your cancelled boarding pass.

Alien Smuggling - Eritrean man pleads guilty - Samuel Abrahaley Fessahazion

March 30, 2010

Eritrean man pleads guilty to alien smuggling

WASHINGTON - Samuel Abrahaley Fessahazion, 23, an Eritrean national, has pleaded guilty to helping smuggle illegal aliens to the United States for private financial gain, following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Custom and Border Protection (CBP).
Fessahazion, aka "Sami," aka "Sammy," aka "Alex" and aka "Alex Williams" pleaded guilty on March 29, 2010, in Houston to one count of conspiracy and two counts of encouraging and inducing aliens to come to, enter or reside in the United States in violation of law for the purpose of private financial gain.
"Breaking this global alien smuggling network puts smugglers on notice that we are coming after them and we will shut them down," said ICE Assistant Secretary John Morton. "ICE will continue to identify the most dangerous international human smuggling organizations for investigation and prosecution."
According to plea documents, from at least June 2007 until approximately January 2008, Fessahazion was the Guatemalan link of an alien smuggling network that spans East Africa, Central and South America. Specifically, Fessahazion illegally entered the United States at McAllen, Texas, on March 20, 2008. He applied for asylum on Sept. 30, 2008, claiming in his application that he was traveling across Africa in 2007 and 2008, fleeing persecution in Eritrea. However, Fessahazion was actually in Guatemala during that period facilitating the smuggling of East African aliens to the United States.
Fessahazion was granted asylum by the United States on Nov. 13, 2008.
Fessahazion admitted that for profit, he encouraged or induced at least six and up to 24 illegal aliens, primarily East Africans, to come to, enter, or reside in the United States knowing that they were not authorized to do so. Fessahazion admitted he moved aliens from Honduras through Guatemala and into Mexico illegally, at which point he referred aliens to a smuggler who brought the aliens into the United States.
In one instance, Fessahazion and his co-conspirators moved two illegal aliens from South Africa to Sao Paulo, Brazil, then through Venezuela to Honduras where they were instructed to contact Fessahazion. Once in contact, Fessahazion sent a driver to pick up the two aliens and bring them to Guatemala City, Guatemala. In exchange for $800, Fessahazion took the two aliens by bus to a house bordering Guatemala and Mexico. There, working with a co-conspirator, Fessahazion provided information to the couple on how to cross the border into Mexico illegally and how to proceed once in Mexico to the United States border. Fessahazion and the co-conspirator provided the couple with a guide who physically took them into Mexico and provided contact information for an unidentified smuggler known only by the alias "Matamoros," who would in turn take the two aliens to the United States from Reynosa, Mexico. In February 2008, the couple was illegally brought to the United States by guides working for "Matamoros." According to court documents, the guides carried guns and ferried the couple across the river on the Mexico/U.S. border in inner tubes.
In another example, an alien was moved from Dubai to Brazil, then to Honduras via Colombia and Costa Rica. According to court documents, a co-conspirator told the alien he could get him from Dubai to Brazil, at which point others would assist the alien each step of the way to the United States in a "chain like" fashion.
According to court documents, once the alien arrived in Honduras, Fessahazion sent a driver to retrieve him and bring him to Guatemala City. In exchange for $700, Fessahazion took the alien to the Guatemala/Mexico border and, along with a co-conspirator, gave the alien information on how to cross the border into Mexico illegally and how to proceed once in Mexico to the United States border, including contact information for "Matamoros." The alien then traveled into Mexico, contacted "Matamoros" and traveled to Reynosa as "Matamoros" instructed. In December 2007, guides working for "Matamoros" took the alien and others to the United States illegally by ferrying them across the river on the Mexican/U.S. border in inner tubes. Shortly after crossing the border into the United States, the alien and others were apprehended.
At sentencing, scheduled for June 14, 2010, Fessahazion faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
"By bringing this smuggler to justice, we have broken a chain that runs from Africa to South and Central America, directly into the United States," said Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer. "We will not allow these dangerous smuggling organizations to profit from bringing people illegally into the United States."
"This prosecution strikes a significant blow to a criminal organization engaged in a sophisticated international alien smuggling operation," said U.S. Attorney José Angel Moreno of the Southern District of Texas, "and highlights the continuing cooperation and success of multiple law enforcement agencies in interdicting such activities."
ICE works with its law enforcement partners to dismantle the global criminal infrastructure engaged in human smuggling. ICE accomplishes this mission by making full use of its authorities and expertise, stripping away assets and profit incentive, collaborating with U.S. and foreign partners to attack networks worldwide.
Human smuggling is the importation of people into the United States involving deliberate evasion of immigration laws. This offense includes bringing illegal aliens into the country, as well as the unlawful transportation and harboring of aliens already in the United States.
The investigation was conducted by the ICE Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Washington, with the assistance of SAC San Francisco, the ICE Human Smuggling and Trafficking Unit, ICE Office of Intelligence, ICE Office of International Affairs and CBP's Office of Alien Smuggling Interdiction.

Политическое Убежище для граждан Киргизии - Киргизия на гране Революции

 Киргизию охватил огонь революции

06 апреля, 17:18 | Михаил ГАСПАРОВ


Киргизская оппозиция, ранее жаловавшаяся мировой общественности на угрозу применения силы со стороны властей, сегодня сама взялась раздувать пламя революции.

В Таласской области, на севере Киргизии, происходят настоящие народные волнения. Демонстранты, число которых составляет, по разным данным, от 500 до 1,5 тысячи, оккупировали здания УВД и администрации области. Оппозиционеры уже провозгласили "народную власть" и избрали "народного губернатора" Таласской области.

Пошли даже слухи о том, что здания захвачены, и к тому же демонстранты взяли заложников, однако МВД республики уверяет что все под контролем. "На самом деле неуправляемая толпа людей, среди которых много лиц в нетрезвом состоянии, неорганизованно зашла в здание областной государственной администрации и через некоторое время вышла оттуда", - гласит сообщение ведомства.

У премьер-министра Киргизии Данияра Усенова другие данные. По его словам, митингующие остаются в здании администрации, на первом этаже, однако захваты заложников - "плод фантазии журналистов".

Глава правительства добавил, что демонстранты по-прежнему пытаются захватить здания госадминистрации Таласской области и областного УВД. Отметим, что губернатор области и его помощники также находятся в этом здании, но на втором этаже.

В Талас переброшены дополнительные силы милиции. Пытаясь разогнать демонстрантов, правоохранительные органы пошли на применение слезоточивого газа. По свидетельствам местных жителей, в центре города слышны выстрелы.

Напомним, люди вышли на улицы после того, как, по словам лидера партии "Ата-Мекен" Омурбека Текебаева, власти арестовали ряд видных оппозиционеров. Другие были избиты. Оппоненты действующей власти считают, что киргизское руководство пошло на эти меры из-за намеченных оппозицией на 7 апреля региональных курултаев (съездов).

"Однако, к сожалению власти республики восприняли эту инициативу враждебно. В последние дни были произведены аресты, задержания, нападения на представителей оппозиции и организаторов курултая", - говорит Текебаев.

В частности, в упомянутом Таласе был задержан зампред партии "Ата-Мекен" Болот Шерниязов. По словам Текебаева, демонстранты, собравшиеся у здания УВД, потребовали его освободить. Их требования, утверждает лидер "Ата-Мекен", были выполнены.

Беспорядки продолжаются. Прибывшие в Талас спецназовцы, по информации Текебаева, сняли бронежилеты и слились с толпой, а командир отряда "изолирован в целях его собственной безопасности". Мало того, власти полностью деморализованы, заверяет лидер оппозиционеров, и именно поэтому митингующие выбрали новых ответственных за безопасность в регионе из своих рядов.

Киргизская прокуратура уже возбудила уголовное дело по факту беспорядков в Таласе по статьям "насильственный захват власти", "насильственное изменение конституционного строя", "массовые беспорядки". Об этом сообщил генпрокурор Нурлан Турсункулов на пресс-конференции в Бишкеке. По его словам, правоохранительными органами республики "принимаются меры по задержанию участников и организаторов акции в Таласе"