Exclusive: Rep. Van Duyne reinforces BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales in war on H-1B fraudsters



BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales' crusade against H-1B visa abuse in Texas not only has alleged fraudsters panicking and closing up shop but has prompted meaningful crackdowns by state and federal officials.

Those officials poised to nab the kinds of fraudsters targeted by Gonzales' investigations might soon be able to hit them with greater penalties.

'Hopefully we'll make them think twice about doing this.'

On Thursday, just days after lauding Gonzales for "bringing this to the surface," Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas) introduced legislation that would increase penalties for certain violations of the H-1B visa program, Blaze News has exclusively learned.

The congresswoman told Blaze News that American workers have been "losing opportunities and having wages drastically cut because some bad actors, employers, were actually wanting to break the law to get cheaper labor, and one of the ways that they were doing that is to abuse the H-1B visa program."

"Hopefully, we'll make them think twice about doing this," added Van Duyne.

Currently, the secretary of labor is permitted to impose a civil penalty of up to $5,000 per violation should an employer engage in willful violations of the H-1B program's conditions, willful material misrepresentations in an H-1B attestation, and/or retaliation against employees who disclose suspected H-1B violations.

The penalty is $35,000 per violation if it involves the termination of an American worker employed within 90 days before or after the filing of a visa petition.

Van Duyne said on "Sara Gonzales Unfiltered" last week that the current fines amount to little more than a "slap on the wrist" — that a $5,000 fine is hardly a deterrent for H-1B employers when they're saving tens of thousands of dollars by importing a foreign worker instead of hiring an American.

RELATED: BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales' investigation has Indian H-1B sponsor panicking

Van Duyne's H-1B Visa Fraud Crackdown Act would raise the maximum per-violation fines from $5,000 to $100,000 and from $35,000 to $250,000, respectively.

The congresswoman told Blaze News that "the $100,000 penalty is already federal law for falsifying information to the government," so "we were just being consistent."

"You guys have to pass that!" Gonzales told the congresswoman.

"Hit them in the pocket book. Make it hurt because they have no problem doing that to the American worker that they're undercutting and displacing."

Additionally, the new bill would bar H-1B employers who willfully commit violations from sponsoring new visas for at least five years, or 10 years in the event that an American worker was displaced. Presently, those penalties are two years and three years, respectively.

Gonzales said in a statement to Blaze News about Van Duyne's bill, "Any meaningful steps to crack down on the fraud and over abuse of the H-1B visa system is very welcome. It’s a great first step, and Congress needs to act to make sure that we can end, or at the very least, reform this corrupt system once and for all."

"This is why I’ve been working so hard to expose the fraud in the H-1B visa system, to make sure that appropriate action is taken."

While she noted that wage suppression and fraud shouldn't be partisan issues, Van Duyne told Blaze News that Democrats will likely oppose the bill in part because they are keen on "flooding their areas with people who are here legally or illegally to make sure that they're not losing their power and losing their congressional district seats because of populations."

In April, Van Duyne and fellow Texas Republican Reps. Pat Fallon, Ronny Jackson, and Brandon Gill sent a letter to members of the Trump administration, urging them to "provide recommendations to Congress, if necessary, on statutory or regulatory changes to close loopholes and restore integrity to the H-1B program."

The congresswoman, who has been working with U.S. Immigration and Citizenship Services and the Department of Labor on this issue, told Blaze News that "one of the things that we requested in the letter was to give us ideas of legislatively what we could do," and this bill "was one of of the things that the administration suggested that we enact."

Van Duyne, appreciative of the Trump administration and the work of "independent journalists like Sara Gonzales," told Blaze News that there are additional related bills in the works.

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Trump administration revokes visas for HISTORIC number of noncitizens



The Trump administration has revoked visas for more than a quarter of a million people over violations that included birth tourism and endangering national security.

State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott called the 250,000+ visa revocations a "historic milestone" in the administration's efforts to protect the American people, Fox News reported Wednesday.

'We will not stop until every foreign national who threatens the safety of our communities is held accountable.'

"Every visa decision is a national security decision. Through continuous vetting on a scale never seen before, we are identifying and removing those who commit crimes, support terrorism, defraud Americans, or abuse our immigration system," Pigott explained.

"A U.S. visa is a privilege, not a right — and if you violate the terms of that privilege, you will lose it," he added. "We will not stop until every foreign national who threatens the safety of our communities is held accountable."

The revocations targeted people who violated the terms of their visas and those who committed crimes, including defrauding Americans or calling for violence against America or Americans.

About 2,300 of those involved birth tourism.

About 27 visas were revoked on Monday for officials from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, as well as their families over accusations of corruption.

A report in August indicated that the administration was looking to revoke visas for 200,000 people who had applied for asylum, which would be the largest single mass revocation of visas in U.S. history.

Pigott said at the time they were investigating false claims of asylum.

"We are coordinating with DHS to identify and revoke the nonimmigrant visas of foreigners who have come to the United States claiming to be short-term visitors, but then file for asylum to stay here permanently," he said.

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Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said in August that Americans were "fed up" with "bogus" requests for asylum.

"Asylum isn’t supposed to be a loophole to circumvent immigration laws; rather, it’s supposed to provide a narrow safe harbor for persons persecuted because of their 'race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion,'" he wrote on social media.

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Libertarian think tank pearl-clutches about reduced Islamic migration — but it's music to MAGA ears



America's most prominent libertarian think tank released a report on Monday concern-mongering over the drastic drop in legal immigration from third-world Muslim nations under President Donald Trump.

The Cato Institute — admittedly a big supporter of immigration and longtime opponent of the president's border wall — is fretting over an apparent 96% drop in immigrant visa issuances and refugee admissions from majority-Muslim countries such as Afghanistan, Algeria, Iran, Libya, Pakistan, and Somalia.

'We’ve come so far on these issues.'

Meanwhile, prominent voices in the MAGA movement are celebrating the news from Cato.

The White House's rapid response account even shared a Cato Institute graph showing the decline in migration from Muslim countries.

In response to the graph, Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet wrote, "I couldn't love this stat and this graphic any more. This is actually exactly what I voted for."

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said, "Coming to America means committing to America: our Constitution, our laws, our freedoms. Tougher vetting under POTUS Trump has cut admissions from high-risk countries by 96%. We owe Americans nothing less than knowing exactly who we let in."

Texas Rep. Brandon Gill (R) noted, "Absolutely incredible victory for the American people, thanks to POTUS."

RELATED: Alabama: The anti-caliphate

Aaron Schwartz/AFP/Getty Images

The libertarian think tank underscored that Trump and his administration are directly responsible for the drop in admissions of refugees and migrants from nations, highlighting:

  • Trump's Jan. 20, 2025, proclamation that the U.S. "admit only those refugees who can fully and appropriately assimilate into the United States," "ensure that the United States preserves taxpayer resources for its citizens," and suspend the entry of refugees into the U.S. under the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program;
  • Trump's Sept. 30, 2025, determination allocating refugee admissions for fiscal year 2026 primarily to Afrikaners from South Africa;
  • Trump's Dec. 16, 2025, proclamation restricting the entry of foreign nationals into the U.S. from scores of third-world countries including Afghanistan, Mali, South Sudan, and Yemen;
  • the State Department's pause on immigrant visa processing from 75 countries "whose migrants take welfare from the American people at unacceptable rates";
  • U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' Jan. 1, 2026, memo applying Trump's 40-country entry ban; and
  • the State Department's recent immigrant visa interview freeze.

Many of the administration's actions have been challenged and in some cases blocked in the courts. The State Department's pause on visa processing from 75 countries, for instance, is no longer in effect as of Aug. 21, owing to a court order.

Nevertheless, these actions have proven impactful.

The libertarian think tank's analysis of State Department data shows incredible drops in migration from various Muslim terrorist hot spots.

Whereas, for example, 5,563 immigrants and refugees from Afghanistan were admitted by the U.S. in former President Joe Biden's final month in office, there were only nine in February 2026 — a decline of 99.8%. Whereas 3,026 Pakistani refugees and migrants were admitted in December 2024, only 63 were admitted in February 2026. Similarly dramatic declines were observed among admissions from various other Muslim nations.

"If the current pace continues, the fiscal year 2026 (which started in October) would see the fewest immigrants and refugees from majority-Muslim countries in at least 30 years," said the Cato Institute report.

'Of course, there are immigrants who don’t work and commit crimes.'

The report noted further that if these levels continue for the rest of this fiscal year, "then only about 40,000 immigrants and refugees from these countries will have immigrated that year. This would be down nearly 80 percent from 2024 and even about 30 percent lower than 2020, when the first Trump administration used the pandemic as an excuse to cut off legal immigration."

The libertarian outfit also questioned the administration's justification for the 40-country entry ban on the basis of security, claiming that "only two of the ten majority Muslim countries on that list have ever carried out a deadly terrorist attack in the United States."

The Cato Institute further characterized immigrants from Muslim nations as hard workers who have a positive effect on government budgets and as "much more highly educated than the US-born."

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Afghan migrants attempting to cross US border near Sasabe, Arizona, in January 2025. John Moore/Getty Images

Minnesota is among the states that has had a different experience on the ground with some of these supposed scholarly and industrious imports.

The Center for Immigration Studies reported in December that approximately 54% of Somali-headed households in Minnesota received food stamps and 73% of Somali households had at least one member on Medicaid. By way of comparison, the figures for native households were 7% and 18%, respectively. The CIS also noted that 58.2% of working-age Somalis do not speak English very well and 39% have no high school diploma.

Trump shared a graph on Jan. 4 titled "Immigrant Welfare Recipient Rates by Country of Origin," which showed that the percentages of immigrant households on assistance from Afghanistan, Algeria, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Pakistan, South Sudan, and Yemen were all over 40% and went as high as 75%.

The Cato Institute's report claimed, "Of course, there are immigrants who don’t work and commit crimes. But they are the minority. The vast majority of immigrants — including those from majority-Muslim countries — want to contribute to the United States, and they have contributed to it."

The libertarian think tank implored Congress to "go further to protect Americans’ right to associate freely with people born in other countries, regardless of their countries of origin."

William Wolfe, the executive director of the Center for Baptist Leadership, tweeted, "To see an official White House account celebrating a decrease in 1) legal immigration and from 2) explicitly Muslim-Majority countries is truly amazing. We’ve come so far on these issues. Some of the young guys don’t know that, but it did not used to be like this."

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So long, stay gone: Trump administration tires of 'bogus asylum claims,' will start revoking visas — lots of them



The days of foreigners using temporary tourist and business visas to stay in the U.S. indefinitely are over.

In addition to launching a Birth Tourism Prevention Task Force aimed at curtailing the number of anchor babies, the State Department is poised to take action against foreigners who are attempting to use their nonimmigrant visas as stepping stones to asylum in America.

'This is really just good housekeeping.'

According to a pair of U.S. officials and State Department documents obtained by the Associated Press, Secretary of State Marco Rubio's department is set to announce the revocation of B-1 and B-2 visas that were issued over the past decade to foreigners who have sought or are seeking asylum. More than 200,000 foreign nationals reportedly could see their visas revoked at the outset.

Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau noted on Monday, "People in the US and all over the world are fed up with bogus asylum claims."

"Asylum isn’t supposed to be a loophole to circumvent immigration laws; rather, it’s supposed to provide a narrow safe harbor for persons persecuted because of their 'race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion,'" said Landau. "But the system has long been swamped by frivolous asylum claims, meaning that it takes years to adjudicate whether applicants are actually entitled to asylum — during which time they can typically work, have children, and otherwise put down roots in our country."

RELATED: Is Ilhan Omar getting deported? Trump's post raises eyebrows

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau. Finn Gomez/Getty Images

A B-1 visa is intended for short-term business activities "other than the performance of skilled or unskilled labor" and is not for persons who seek to obtain and engage in employment while in America. Allowable uses for this particular nonimmigrant visa include traveling to the U.S. to participate in commercial negotiations or conferences.

A B-2 visa is intended for tourists — those who want to travel to the U.S. to visit with friends or relatives, obtain medical treatment, or take a vacation.

Fiscal year 2024 alone saw the issuance of over 6.49 million B-1/B-2 visas classed "Temporary Visitor for Business and Pleasure"; 31,544 B-1 visas classed "Temporary Visitor for Business"; 1.91 million visas classed "Combination B1/B2 and Border Crossing Card"; and 12,072 visas classed "Temporary Visitor for Pleasure."

State Department spokesman Thomas Pigott said in a statement obtained by the Associated Press, "We are coordinating with DHS to identify and revoke the nonimmigrant visas of foreigners who have come to the United States claiming to be short-term visitors, but then file for asylum to stay here permanently."

Pigott did not say precisely how many visas might ultimately be affected, noting only that "as the process will be ongoing, the number of revocations remains dynamic and will be done on a rolling basis."

When asked for comment, the Department of Homeland Security referred Blaze News to the State Department, which did not immediately respond.

Simon Hankinson, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation's Border Security and Immigration Center, told Blaze News, "This is really just good housekeeping."

"Asylum fraud is the easiest way for mala fide or economic migrants to get to stay in the West. Anyone claiming asylum here is clearly no longer doing what they said they would when they got a visa, and they certainly should not be allowed to come and go as they please," continued Hankinson. "We encourage tourists, business people, students, athletes, and all kinds of others to come here for a temporary period ... but there are rules. Visitors are not supposed to break our laws or overstay their welcome."

Hankinson also noted: "When they apply for visas, aliens must show sufficient ties to their home country that they will return – which is the very opposite of what they would need to prove to get asylum. Some people lie to get immigration benefits."

While foreigners whose visas are revoked might not necessarily be deported immediately, a U.S. official told the Associated Press that they would nevertheless lose their status as tourism or business travelers under the proposed initiative.

Hankinson acknowledged that foreigners who have already been granted asylum are able to process to green card and citizenship — and visa revocation doesn't change that. However, if they are refused asylum, they can be deported.

"At that point, they would never qualify for a visa because they'd be high risk to overstay again or come illegally," said Hankinson.

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DOL takes action after Sara Gonzales' latest exposé of alleged H-1B fraud: 'Walls are closing in, Mohammad'



BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales has been on a tear in Texas, exposing alleged H-1B visa program fraud and collecting scalps along the way.

After flagging numerous potential fraudulent operations, prompting Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) to take legal action, Gonzales teamed up with U.S. Department of Labor Inspector General Anthony D’Esposito.

'This was a total scam.'

Together, they paid a visit to Mohammad Abbas, a Dallas resident suspected of scamming foreigners with the promise of H-1B visa sponsorship and/or green cards.

"This right here is everything that's wrong with H-1Bs," Labor Department Inspector General D’Esposito told Gonzales outside the office door of Abbas' Molabs Media.

"This is why fraud is taking away American jobs from American workers."

D'Esposito implored individuals involved or victimized by the alleged scheme to get in touch with the Labor Department, noting that "whistleblowers are protected."

Abbas clearly did not appreciate all the attention.

When Gonzales showed up at Abbas' office with D'Esposito and a folder brimming with damning evidence earlier this month, the alleged fraudster's door was covered and went unanswered.

"Mohammad, you can run but you can't hide," said Gonzales, "because all of the information that we have was quite literally handed over to the inspector general of the Department of Labor. I'm sure the investigators over there are going to have a field day with this."

"The walls are closing in, Mohammad. Tick-tock," added the BlazeTV host.

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The DOL’s Office of Inspector General is undertaking a massive crackdown on H-1B visa program abuse.

A spokesperson for the Department of Labor told Blaze News, “The Department of Labor OIG’s H-1B fraud investigation is active, expanding, and aggressive. We have issued subpoenas, executed search warrants, and are following the evidence wherever it leads.”

“We are ramping up resources and coordinating closely with acting Secretary [Keith] Sonderling and the White House Fraud Task Force to identify, expose, and dismantle fraudulent employers, brokers, and networks that exploit the H-1B system and steal American jobs,” continued the spokesperson. “Deportation authority belongs to DHS, not DOL. Our job is to build the cases. When we uncover fraud, we work with our federal partners to pursue every appropriate criminal, civil, and immigration consequence.”

Thanks to Gonzales’ investigation, the DOL has the scent of a potential fraud scheme in Dallas.

Gonzales and her team received multiple complaints about Abbas from separate purported victims claiming to have shelled out small fortunes in hopes of securing legal status to live and work in the United States.

"These people were charged thousands of dollars for this," said Gonzales. "One of the victims even said he paid $60,000, but the sponsorship never came through."

While stiffing desperate people is bad enough, Gonzales emphasized that it is "illegal to take payment from people to sponsor them for visas."

Not only is it unlawful for a would-be employee to pay outright for a sponsorship, as D’Esposito told Gonzales, it is illegal for the employer to offset H-1B costs by lowering the prospective employee's salary or demanding reimbursement.

Gonzales noted that Abbas owns multiple companies — including Molabs Media, which has lost the right to transact business in the Lone Star State, and HiTech Network Solutions — which appear to cite the same Dallas corporate suite as their headquarters.

According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' H-1B Employer Data Hub, these organizations sponsored H-1B visas in recent years. The organizations, which appear to have recently scrubbed their team webpages, also received hundreds of thousands of dollars in PPP loans that were later forgiven, according to ProPublica’s “Tracking PPP” database.

After trying unsuccessfully multiple times early in her investigation to reach Abbas at his home or office, Gonzales finally got ahold of him by phone and asked him about the alleged scheme.

Abbas — who allegedly runs some funds through a bank account in Pakistan and who, according to his LinkedIn, was educated in Bangladesh — denied that he was selling green cards and visas, claiming instead that he sells "Indian concerts."

This claim doesn't appear to hold water.

Gonzales identified a woman named Rachel Samuel — who purports on LinkedIn to be the business development manager for Abbas' Molabs Media LLC and has in recent years sought potential H-1B candidates for various roles — as the apparent recruiter and point of contact for individuals allegedly trying to buy green cards or visas from Abbas.

In one alleged text exchange between one of Abbas' alleged victims and Samuel, who launched her own visa-sponsoring tech company whose right to do business in Texas has been terminated, Samuel appears to state, "Basically we can do 5 payments Once a month without getting flagged," adding, "Anything over 30K will be flagged by IRS."

One of the purported victims alleged to Gonzales that he touched base with Abbas' crew, discussed different payment options, and finally agreed to pay an initial sum of $2,500 for his sponsorship, which he claims to have deposited into Abbas' local bank account.

After hearing nothing back from Abbas' outfit, the victim alleged that they notified him that they had put his name in the H-1B lottery — even though he allegedly paid on the understanding that they would endorse him under a different visa program — and were now expecting him to pay another $4,000 to close the deal.

"I mean, this was a total scam," said the victim.

Blaze News reached out to Mohammad Abbas and Rachel Samuel's attorney for comment but did not receive a response.

Gonzales told Blaze News, “Let this serve as a warning to all the people committing H-1B fraud. I'm not stopping until you've all gone back home or are locked up.”

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Trump Admin Launches Probe Into H-1B Visa Fraudsters Stealing Jobs From Americans

The invesitgation aims to further President Trump's goal to end foreign violence on American soil and return jobs to the American people.

Trump Gold Card visa plan breakdown: Big promises vs. small reality



The controversial Trump-backed Gold Card visa program not only claimed to offer immigrants “residency in record time,” but promised up to $1 trillion toward reducing national debt.

However, during a heated congressional hearing, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has revealed that only one applicant has been approved so far.

“The process was recently resolved with DHS who runs the program, and they do a $15,000, the most serious vetting and analysis of any potential applicant in the history of the government. Usually it was $600. These pay $15,000 for an extraordinary vet,” Lutnick explained.


“So they have approved recently one person, and there are hundreds in the queue that are going through the process, but this is a new program, and they’ve just set it up, and they wanted to make sure they did it perfectly, and so we’ve worked through that,” he added.

“Sounds pretty rigorous if only one person has been OK'd for this,” BlazeTV host Pat Gray comments, shocked.

“I mean, no matter what you think of the program, that’s a failure, right?” he continues. “And I think the program would have been pretty good if we could have raised a trillion dollars.”

“Maybe it’s because DHS was closed and couldn’t do anything,” Jeff Fisher chimes in, adding, “But again, I’m OK with no one coming in.”

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Rubio Kicks Out Relatives Of Late Iranian Commander Soleimani Living In America

'Soleimani Afshar is an outspoken supporter of the totalitarian, terrorist regime'

'Staged armed robberies': 11 Indian nationals catch visa fraud charge amid conspiracy allegations



In a years-long case, more suspects are being charged in connection with an alleged visa fraud conspiracy ring.

On Friday, the Department of Justice charged 11 individuals in connection with "a conspiracy to carry out staged armed robberies of convenience stores for the purpose of allowing store clerks to falsely claim they were crime victims on immigration applications."

The DOJ claimed the purpose of the scheme was to allow the 'victims' of the 'robbery' to falsely claim they were victims of a violent crime on an application for a U visa.

Ten of the 11 suspects, all of whom are Indian nationals, were arrested in states where they were "unlawfully residing," including Massachusetts, Missouri, Kentucky, and Ohio, according to the DOJ's press release.

"An 11th Indian nat'l who was deported to India has also been charged," the Boston FBI announced on social media. The 11th Indian national was deported after "unlawfully residing" in Weymouth, Massachusetts.

According to the DOJ's press release, the scheme involved staging armed robberies in which the "robber" would threaten store clerks with an apparent firearm, take cash from the register, and flee. The clerk would then wait five minutes or more before calling police to report the incident.

The store owners were compensated by Rambhai Patel, sentenced in August for his role in the scheme, and his alleged co-conspirators, while the "victims" allegedly paid Patel to participate in the scheme.

RELATED: Trump recognizes little girl grievously injured, allegedly by truck-driving Indian illegal alien

FBI Boston

The fraud scheme appears to have begun in March 2023. Those charged on Friday are alleged to have "either arranged with the organizer to set up each robbery or paid for themselves or a family member to participate as a 'victim.'"

According to an August 2025 sentencing announcement from the DOJ, Patel and Balwinder Singh, who was also charged in December 2023, organized "at least 18" staged armed robberies.

Singh pleaded guilty and was set to be sentenced in September 2025.

Citing charging documents, the DOJ claimed the purpose of the scheme was to allow the "victims" of the "robbery" to falsely claim they were victims of a violent crime on an application for a U visa.

According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the U nonimmigrant status visa is "set aside for victims of certain crimes who have suffered mental or physical abuse and are helpful to law enforcement or government officials in the investigation or prosecution of criminal activity."

Jitendrakumar Patel; Maheshkumar Patel; Sanjaykumar Patel; Amitabahen Patel; Sangitaben Patel; Mitul Patel; Rameshbhai Patel; Ronakkumar Patel; Sonal Patel; Minkesh Patel; and Dipikaben Patel all face one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud.

The charge of conspiracy to commit visa fraud carries a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000.

Those charged on Friday were released after initial appearances and will appear in federal court in Boston "at a later date," the DOJ said.

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CBP leader arrested: Supervisor allegedly hid and supported illegal alien 'niece' for over a year



A U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer was arrested and charged this week with allegedly harboring and transporting an illegal alien who prosecutors claim is his niece.

If convicted, Andres Wilkinson III — a CBP supervisory officer who has worked for the agency since May 2001 — faces up to a decade in prison and a potential $250,000 fine.

The CBP Office of Professional Responsibility received information from Homeland Security Investigations in April 2025 that Elva Edith Garcia-Vallejo, the daughter of a man whom Wilkinson listed as a brother in his 2023 background investigation, was allegedly living with the CBP officer at his residence in Laredo, Texas.

'Financially supported her by providing his credit cards, housing, and assistance with her financial obligations.'

Garcia-Vallejo's residency was problematic because she is a foreign national who lacks legal authorization to be in the homeland, which Wilkinson knew, federal prosecutors claimed.

According to the criminal complaint, Garcia-Vallejo entered the U.S. in August 2023 using her nonimmigrant visa number and secured a I-94 travel permit as a temporary visitor for pleasure/tourism to San Antonio — a permit that expired on Feb. 4, 2024.

North of the border, Garcia-Vallejo temporarily resided with her Laredo-based husband, Juan Rodriguez, who filed and then withdrew an immigration petition for her to become a legal resident.

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Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images

In May 2025 — eight months after Garcia-Vallejo's last known entry into the U.S. using her B1/B2 nonimmigrant visa number and two months after her travel permit expired — the CBP OPR allegedly spotted Garcia-Vallejo and her daughter meet with Wilkinson outside the Harmony School of Science in Laredo.

Investigators followed the mother — who had no pending immigration applications — and daughter back to their dwelling place. At the time, Garcia-Vallejo was driving a Toyota Rav4 registered to Wilkinson, the criminal complaint said.

Over the next several months, CBP OPR conducted surveillance at the residence and allegedly observed Garcia-Vallejo come and go. They also claimed to have spotted her driving another vehicle registered to Wilkinson.

Finally, on Feb. 5, CBP OPR detained Garcia-Vallejo, who allegedly admitted that she had been living with her "uncle" since at least August 2024; that he had "financially supported her by providing his credit cards, housing, and assistance with her financial obligations, including medical debt, and by adding her to his vehicle insurance," said the complaint.

The supposed niece also admitted to allegedly crossing U.S. Border Patrol checkpoints in a vehicle driven by Wilkinson on multiple occasions.

The criminal complaint refers to Wilkinson in one instance as his supposed niece's "boyfriend" and the DOJ noted in its corresponding release that the two were "romantically involved," but neither document offered supporting details for that characterization of their relationship. While the complaint indicates Garcia-Vallejo is the daughter of the officer's brother, it did not specify whether they are indeed blood relatives.

CBP did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News. Attorneys for Garcia-Vallejo and Wilkinson did not respond to a request for comment from the Guardian.

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