U.S Arrests 3 Police Chiefs, Others Over Alleged Visa Fraud
The U.S. federal authorities have arrested five people, including three current or former Louisiana police chiefs, over an alleged visa fraud scheme involving the sale of falsified police reports to undocumented immigrants applying for U-visas.
The arrests, confirmed Wednesday, follow a press conference held a day earlier in Baton Rouge, where U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook had initially announced that two of the police chiefs had been taken into custody, with others still being sought at the time.
According to Van Hook, the accused allegedly received about $5,000 for each fake police report.
The reports — many citing armed robberies that never occurred — were used to support applications for U-visas, a category intended for non-citizens who are victims of certain crimes and who cooperate with law enforcement.
“There had been an unusual concentration of armed robberies of people who were not from Louisiana. In fact, the armed robberies never took place,” Van Hook said
Authorities emphasized that the arrests do not reflect broader corruption in the police departments involved.
The implicated officials are from small municipalities in central Louisiana, a region that, despite not bordering another country, hosts nearly 7,000 immigration detainees in nine Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities.
Federal agents, backed by the Louisiana Attorney General’s office, were seen conducting searches at the homes of the remaining suspects after Tuesday’s briefing.
AP reports that Federal authorities confirmed Wednesday that all five suspects had been arrested
The U-visa program allows undocumented immigrants who are victims of serious crimes to gain temporary legal status and potentially a path to citizenship.
In the fiscal year ending September 30, 2022, about 10,000 U-visas were granted. However, the program has long been plagued by fraud concerns.
A 2021 audit by the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General cited significant vulnerabilities, including suspicious law enforcement signatures and delays that leave applicants waiting for years.
Authorities have not yet released the names of those arrested or full details of the charges. However, Investigations are still ongoing.
U.S Arrests 3 Police Chiefs, Others Over Alleged Visa Fraud is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
