Feds Find Fraud In Nearly Half Of Minneapolis Immigration Cases

MINNEAPOLIS — A federal immigration sweep has uncovered significant fraud across nearly half of the pending immigration cases reviewed in the Twin Cities, according to U.S. Customs and Immigration Services (USCIS).

Dubbed Operation Twin Shield, the investigation was led by USCIS in coordination with other federal agencies.

In total, federal investigators reviewed hundreds of cases flagged for possible fraud or ineligibility in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. (RELATED: Polls Show A Majority Of Americans Support Trump Administration’s Immigration Policy)

The probe uncovered 275 cases tied to fraud, safety risks, or immigration violations — nearly half (44%) of all the cases reviewed.

As part of the operation, authorities referred 42 noncitizens for possible enforcement action. Several arrests were made.

USCIS put out a press release with even more details:

Operation Twin Shield uncovered many lies. For example, one alien admitted to fabricating a death certificate from Kenya for $100 to falsely claim the termination of a marriage — the spouse in question is alive, residing in Minneapolis, and is the mother of five of his children. In another case, an alien is the son of a known or suspected terrorist, he also overstayed his visa, and was previously found to have engaged in marriage fraud that resulted in the denial of several immigration benefit requests. In another case, a petitioner admitted to officers with Operation Twin Shield that she committed marriage fraud; this was only a few hours after swearing that her marriage was bona fide during an interview at our Minneapolis office. In another case, an alien engaged in marriage fraud by taking advantage of an elderly U.S. citizen spouse, including subjecting the spouse to elder abuse and exploitation. This is a small sample of the immigration fraud USCIS officers across the nation combat every single day.

“USCIS is declaring an all-out war on immigration fraud. We will relentlessly pursue everyone involved in undermining the integrity of our immigration system and laws. With help from ICE and the FBI, USCIS’ Operation Twin Shield was a tremendous success — hundreds of bad actors will be held accountable,” said USCIS Director Joseph B. Edlow. “Immigration fraud undermines the integrity of our lawful immigration system, harms those who follow the law, and poses risks to national security and public safety. Under President Trump, we will leave no stone unturned.”

Operation Twin Shield is the first time USCIS dedicated resources on this scale in a single geographical area. Unlike during the Biden administration, USCIS immigration officers are now empowered to thoroughly vet aliens as required by law, and to pursue immigration fraud wherever it’s encountered.

According to officials, data from Operation Twin Shield is being used by the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice to support potential legal action against Minnesota jurisdictions accused of violating federal law through sanctuary-style policies. (RELATED: Prioritizing Illegals Over Seniors: How Democrat Medicaid Experiments Leave Citizens Behind)

The full press conference can be viewed below.

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