Three Years of Fraud in the U.S.: The Case of Manoj Kargudri (immigration)

Center for Immigration studies ^ | Dec. 2009 | Janice Kephart, Bryan Griffith

[AuntB]

WASHINGTON (November 2009) – The Center for Immigration Studies is releasing the third video in its series Border Basics by Janice Kephart, Three Years of Fraud in the U.S.: The Case of Manoj Kargudri.

Following closely on the heels of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano’s announcement that she is looking forward to working with Congress on “comprehensive immigration reform,” Janice Kephart explores how the agency that would be responsible for carrying out an amnesty of 12 million illegal aliens still cannot ferret out fraud in a single simple employment petition even eight years after 9/11.

Kephart examines the case of Manoj Kargudri, an Indian national who exploited simple loopholes in our immigration system five times over three years to enter and remain in the United States. Kargudri was finally stopped at the San Antonio airport on August 28, 2008, by the Transportation Security Administration. He was not stopped because of his immigration violations, but rather because he had a one-way ticket to Washington and in his carry-on luggage were box cutters and a homemade battery strapped to his MP3 player. Luckily, he turned out not to be a terrorist, but the fraud in the immigration system allowed Kargudri to obtain a visa and enter and stay in the United States for three years before he was finally arrested and deported.

Kephart concludes that while Kargudri’s employment fraud is largely solvable, the agency responsible for adjudicating immigration benefits, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, has been making unfulfilled promises for years about upgrading its systems to effectively reduce application fraud. In a broader context, the Kargudri case raises more questions about the soundness of pursuing amnesty within a bureaucracy where applicant fraud still runs rampant.

[AuntB]

Mike Cutler, former immigration agent, writes often how UCSIS cannot, will not vet immigrants. A few years ago they lost 30,000 applicant files, so they issued them legal status with no review. They can't handle what they have and the fraud will be rampant if another amnesty is granted.

[AuntB]

ALSO...

News today from NAFBPO

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/6746094.html

Ex-Border Patrol agent receives 15-year sentence

A former Border Patrol agent convicted of helping drug traffickers safely smuggle marijuana has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Raquel Esquivel was sentenced Monday in a Del Rio federal court, seven months after a jury found the 25-year-old guilty of conspiracy with intent to distribute more than a ton of pot.

Prosecutors say Esquivel tipped drug traffickers in 2007 about authorities stationed along the Pecos River, and provided guidance about how to avoid getting caught...

Esquivel had served in the Border Patrol less than a year.[snip]

[bcsco]

I’ll add this to tomorrow’s ping list.

[AuntB]

Another news item today....recall under the Bush admin. that his justice dept went after the Salvation army because they wanted their employees to speak English. I suppose Obama will come after them for this one (unfortunately)...

Charities check immigration status for toy drives

[snip]Happy holidays — now where’s that immigration paperwork?

Several programs providing Christmas gifts for needy children are checking immigration status first, requiring at least one member of the household to be a U.S. citizen before handing over toys. The Salvation Army and a charity affiliated with the Houston Fire Department are asking for children’s birth certificates or Social Security cards.

The point isn’t to punish children but to ensure parents are citizens, legal immigrants or working to become legal residents, said Lorugene Young, whose Outreach Program Inc. is one of three groups that distribute toys collected by firefighters.

Other groups don’t require specific documentation. Those that check immigration status or other qualifications say they are trying to make good decisions.

“We want to be good stewards, so the people that are donating to us trust we’re going to do the right thing,” said Sonya Scott, manager of care ministries at West Houston Assistance Ministries. The group does not check immigration but requires identification, including birth certificates for children and proof of income.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/6746855.html

[gubamyster]

ping

[Kenny Bunk]

Aunt B, I am certain, certain I tell you, that young Esquivel was indubitably a very rare rotten apple in that fine, fine I tell you, body of men who guard our southern border, among whom are several officers who actually guard the border and do not allow anyone with bad intentions to cross it illegally, or with contraband, unless they are related to them.

Technically speaking, we do not have a border with Mexico. It is a 150-mile wide "Zona de Tolerancia," marking passage into Aztlan.

[SwinneySwitch]

Southwest border corruption cases continue to rise

http://www.centerforinvestigativereporting.org/blogpost/20091120southwestbordercorruptioncasescontinuetorise