ICE opens up new front in war on fraud with new first-of-its-kind policy: 'On notice'
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has opened up a new front in the Trump administration’s war on fraud through a first-of-its-kind policy fining attorneys for filing fraudulent asylum claims on behalf of immigrants.
James Percival, general counsel for the Department of Homeland Security, posted on X that the move puts fraudsters "on notice."
"Last month, we put the open borders industrial complex on notice — fraudulent asylum claims would result in fines against attorneys," wrote Percival.
He said that on Tuesday, DHS fined an attorney over $255,000 for filing multiple fraudulent claims on behalf of Indian immigrants to the U.S.
ICE doubled down, posting on X that "the days of attorneys abusing and defrauding our immigration system are OVER."
In a statement shared with Fox News Digital, DHS said Homeland Security Investigations filed five notices of intent to fine attorney Vinod Doddamani for allegedly filing 64 fraudulent documents on behalf of primarily Indian nationals.
DHS said that Doddamani operates a nationwide practice of filing asylum applications on behalf of mostly Indian immigrants in immigration courts. In support of these asylum claims, DHS said Doddamani filed declarations that were identical or nearly identical in language and substance. The agency said the declarations contained the same or nearly the same factual narrative and supporting details regarding the alleged persecution.
In a call with Fox News Digital, Doddomani denied any wrongdoing and claimed that the DHS has the wrong suspect. Instead, Doddomani blamed "a rogue employee" and his "office manager" for the filings in question. He said that, "in a certain sense, I really feel discriminated by this country for at least the last 25 years."
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The agency said the fines are in line with a directive Percival issued last month authorizing ICE attorneys to take enforcement actions against immigration attorneys who file false asylum claims in court.
At the time, Percival explained that "protection claims like asylum are intended to cover unique and narrow circumstances, but it is standard practice for immigration attorneys representing illegal aliens to assert that virtually every illegal alien is going to be persecuted or tortured in his or her home country."
"Now, thanks to this directive, ICE attorneys have greater authority to enforce the law and stop the abuse of our asylum system by illegal aliens and attorneys," said Percival.
In the statement shared by DHS, Percival said that "fraudulent asylum claims threaten the safety of Americans by overwhelming our burdened immigration system and delaying the removal of dangerous criminal aliens."
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"For too long," he continued, "immigration attorneys have not been held to the same ethical standard as other attorneys."
Percival said that "under President Trump, this will no longer be tolerated."
"ICE is seeking a fine of more than $250,000 from attorney Vinod Doddamani. By holding him accountable, we are sending a message to other immigration attorneys who engage in fraud across the country: your days of abusing and defrauding our immigration system are over."