Inspector General Finds Rampant Fraud in U-Visa Program

The Inspector General for the Department of Homeland Security found rampant fraud over the years in the U-Visa program that provides a visa to illegal alien victims of crime.

The Inspector General also found that the program provides little assistance to local police in the investigation of crimes, despite claims from the program’s supporters.

“We identified 10 USCIS-approved petitions with forged, unauthorized, altered or suspicious law enforcement certifications,” the Inspector General’s report said. “Our survey of 57 certifying law enforcement agencies across the United States also indicated the program is not helpful for solving crimes. Of those surveyed, 61 percent stated the program does not significantly improve their ability to investigate and solve crimes, and 54 percent believe petitioners abuse the program.”

The Inspector General reported that many of the long-standing issues identified within the program have not been addressed.

“Although USCIS acknowledged program issues years ago, it has not taken necessary corrective actions. Until USCIS addresses vulnerabilities it identified in its four internal reviews, the potential for forged, unauthorized, and altered petitions, unreliable data, and excessive backlog of petitioners will continue.”

The investigation further found that the program is dysfunctional that there’s a backlog of tens of thousands of applications, which could lead advocates of the program to push for an increase in the number of visas issued each year.

To read the full IG report, click here.