Police chiefs accused in massive visa fraud ring: Fake armed robberies for illegal immigrants?



A multiagency investigation into a suspicious uptick in reported crimes uncovered an alleged visa fraud scheme that led to the arrest of several current and former law enforcement officers.

U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana Alexander Van Hook explained that an "unusual number of armed robberies" in small Louisiana communities sparked investigations. He noted that most of the listed victims were not from the area.

'99.9% of law enforcement's good.'

"The armed robberies never took place, and those listed in the applications were never victims of crime," Van Hook stated during a Wednesday press conference.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced a 62-count indictment against a local business owner, Chandrakant Patel, and several current and former police officers: Oakdale Chief of Police Chad Doyle, Oakdale's Ward 5 Marshal Michael Slaney, Forest Hill Chief of Police Glynn Dixon, and former Glenmora Chief of Police Tebo Onishea.

The indictment charged the defendants with bribery, conspiracy to commit visa fraud, and mail fraud after the men reportedly ran a "more than nine-and-a-half-year alleged scheme to author, facilitate, produce, and authenticate false police reports of purported armed robberies in the central Louisiana area."

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Photo by Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Hundreds of foreign nationals used those alleged false police reports to apply for U visas, which are intended to protect crime victims who are willing to assist law enforcement in investigations or prosecutions.

The indictment claims that the foreign nationals contacted business owner Patel to request that they be labeled as armed robbery victims in police reports. Patel would then allegedly ask Doyle, Slaney, Dixon, or Onishea to write up the false police reports so the immigrants could use them as official supporting documents in their visa applications.

Patel allegedly received thousands of dollars for his participation in the scheme. According to the indictment, he offered to pay a Rapides Parish Sheriff's Office agent $5,000 in February for a fake police report.

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Photo by Miami Herald via Getty Images

Rapides Parish Sheriff Mark Wood told WBRZ-TV, "99.9% of law enforcement's good."

"We go to work every day. We get up, we do what we're supposed to do. For whatever reason, the allure of money, or whatever it is that leads them to do the wrong thing, don't do it," Wood stated.

The USCIS reported, "If convicted, the defendants each face a sentence of up to five years in prison on the conspiracy charge; up to 10 years on the visa fraud charges; and up to 20 years on the mail fraud charge. Patel faces up to 10 years on the bribery charge. In addition, they could be ordered to pay a fine of up to $250,000 on each count."

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Trump admin creates registry for illegal aliens — holdouts could face jail time



The Trump administration announced Tuesday that it would create a registry for illegal aliens, citing the Immigration and Nationality Act.

As part of his day-one action, Trump issued an executive order, Protecting the American People Against Invasion, directing the Department of Homeland Security to create a registry for illegal immigrants.

'President Trump and Secretary Noem have a clear message for those in our country illegally: Leave now.'

On Tuesday, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem declared that the agency would "fully enforce" the INA, which states that all foreign immigrants 14 years or older must register with the federal government. That registration requirement includes fingerprinting and home addresses.

The DHS noted that the act "created multiple tools to track illegal aliens and compel them to leave the country voluntarily."

Those who refuse to leave the U.S. willfully, fail to register, or fail to keep their address records up to date could face criminal penalties.

"An alien's failure to depart the U.S. is a crime that could result in significant financial penalty. An alien's failure to register is a crime that could result in a fine, imprisonment, or both. For decades, this law has been ignored — not anymore," the DHS stated.

"Compelling mass self-deportation is a safer path for aliens and law enforcement, and saves U.S. taxpayer dollars, in addition to conserving valuable Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) resources needed to keep Americans safe," the DHS added.

The U.S. Citizens and Immigration Services website notes that "most aliens" have "already registered."

"However, a significant number of aliens present in the United States have had no direct way in which to register and meet their obligation under INA 262," it read. "In order that unregistered aliens may comply with their duty under INA 262, USCIS is establishing a new form and process by which they may register. No alien will have an excuse for failure to comply with this law."

USCIS indicated that the online registry will be available "in the coming days."

A draft regulation viewed by the Wall Street Journal stated that illegal aliens who defy the mandate could be fined up to $5,000 and sentenced to up to six months in prison.

The document reportedly showed that illegal immigrants who had not previously applied for asylum or a work permit were provided 30 days to submit a registration form.

Noem wrote in a memo regarding the registry, "Aliens in this country illegally face a choice."

"They can return home and follow the legal process to come to the United States or they can deal with the consequences of continuing to violate our laws," she declared.

DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin stated, "President Trump and Secretary Noem have a clear message for those in our country illegally: Leave now. If you leave now, you may have the opportunity to return and enjoy our freedom and live the American dream."

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Biden-Harris, Leftist Lawfare Warriors Are Blocking Efforts To Keep Noncitizens From Voting

[rebelmouse-proxy-image https://thefederalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Screenshot-2024-11-03-at-12.19.13 AM-1200x675.png crop_info="%7B%22image%22%3A%20%22https%3A//thefederalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Screenshot-2024-11-03-at-12.19.13%5Cu202fAM-1200x675.png%22%7D" expand=1]'The most current, verified information is available. Yet, Washington, D.C. will not share it with us,' said Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate.

Biden admin is not properly vetting illegal aliens, government watchdog finds: 'At risk of admitting dangerous persons'



A recent Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General report revealed that the Biden administration's department "needs to improve its screening and vetting of asylum seekers and noncitizens applying for admission into the United States."

The June 7 report released the audit results of the DHS' vetting procedures for illegal immigrants released into the interior of the country.

'Varied and sometimes inconsistent inspection procedure.'

"We conducted this audit to determine the effectiveness of DHS' technology, procedures, and coordination to screen and vet asylum seekers and noncitizens," the report read.

The audit found that the DHS' procedures "were not fully effective to screen and vet noncitizens applying for admission into the United States or asylum seekers whose asylum applications were pending for an extended period."

It noted that Customs and Border Protection cannot "access all Federal data necessary to enable complete screening and vetting" of illegal aliens. The report also revealed that CBP lacks the technology to conduct biometric matching at land ports of entry and has implemented "varied and sometimes inconsistent inspection procedures."

During its investigation, the inspector general's office found that at three land ports of entry, Border Patrol officers "did not query all vehicle occupants in Simplified Arrival to identify criminal warrants, national security concerns, or border crossing history before admitting them into the country." According to the officers, management "frequently directed" them to "query only drivers to expedite processing," the report said.

Additionally, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services failed to conduct "timely screenings of more than 400,000 affirmative asylum applicants who filed for asylum between October 2017 and March 2023."

The department has also not implemented a "dedicated procedure or comprehensive technology solution to perform interim screening of asylum applicants whose cases were not adjudicated within the required 180-day timeframe," the report stated. As a result, USCIS may not identify illegal aliens "with derogatory information" who are already residing in the U.S.

The inspector general report offered five recommendations, concluding that the DHS must address the outlined issues or it "will remain at risk of admitting dangerous persons into the country or enabling asylum seekers who may pose significant threats to public safety and national security to continue to reside in the United States."

The DHS responded to the report, stating that it plans to implement an "automated biometric entry and exit system" for CBP's use. The department concurred with all of the inspector general's recommendations to improve vetting procedures.

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Republican lawmakers accuse Mayorkas of refusing to hand over files on illegal migrants suspected of serious crimes



Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee, led by Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), accused Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas of refusing to hand over files on illegal migrants suspected of committing serious crimes, Fox News Digital reported Monday.

Jordan and subcommittee chairs Tom McClintock (R-Calif.) and Ben Cline (R-Va.) recently penned a letter to Mayorkas renewing requests for documents on more than a dozen migrants.

"The Committee previously wrote to [DHS] for various documents and information, including the production of alien files (A-files) and related immigration case information for several alleged criminal illegal aliens," the lawmakers wrote. "However, to date, DHS has failed to comply with the Committee's requests."

According to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, A-Files document interactions migrants have with various government agencies, including USCIS, Customs and Border Protection, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

"They include all an individual's official immigration and naturalization records and are identified by a unique A-Number. A-Files are central to our agency's daily operations and play a key role in adjudicating immigration benefits and supporting enforcement actions," USCIS stated.

The lawmakers called the DHS' failure to turn over the files "unacceptable," noting that it blocks the subcommittee from "fulfilling its constitutional oversight obligations."

"The Committee may be forced to resort to compulsory process if these requests remain outstanding," lawmakers warned Mayorkas.

Some of the requests that have yet to be fulfilled date back to October, according to a copy of the letter obtained by Fox News Digital.

The letter, dated Thursday, demanded information on Venezuelan national Daniel Hernandez-Martinez, who reportedly "randomly attacked at least three strangers and two cops." Within the first two months of his arrival in New York City, he was arrested and released six times on 14 separate charges.

Lawmakers are also seeking files on Peru national Roberto Emilio Vasquez-Santamaria, who was accused of murder. Additionally, the subcommittee requested information about four of the illegal migrants accused of attacking New York City police officers outside a shelter near Times Square in February.

In March, lawmakers sought files on Diego Ibarra, the brother of the man accused of murdering Laken Riley. According to the letter, Ibarra has Tren de Aragua gang-affiliated tattoos and has had his own "run-ins with the law."

Jordan, McClintock, and Cline provided the DHS with a new deadline of April 25 to produce the files.

In a comment to the Fox News Digital, a DHS spokesperson stated that the subcommittee's requests are "incredibly time consuming."

"A-Files can be thousands of pages long and must typically be redacted for a wide range of information including Law Enforcement Sensitive information that could jeopardize ongoing investigations, private information about junior DHS employees, and attorney client information," the DHS said.

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