Tomorrow at 10:00 a.m., the Immigration and Border Security Subcommittee will hold a hearing on fraud in the asylum system and the Obama Administration’s contribution to this problem by its refusal to enforce our immigration laws. The House Judiciary Committee recently obtained a report from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that shows there has been proven or possible fraud in at least 70% of cases. Additionally, a separate DHS report shows that the Obama Administration is abusing current law by not detaining certain individuals seeking asylum. Tomorrow, the Subcommittee will hear from the following witnesses on this issue:
• Mr. Louis D. Crocetti, Jr., Principal, Immigration Integrity Group, LLC;
• Mr. Jan C. Ting, Professor of Law, Temple University Beasley School of Law;
• Mr. Hipolito Acosta, Former District Director, USCIS Houston & INS Mexico City; and
• Ms. Eleanor Acer, Director, Refugee Protection Program, Human Rights First
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and Immigration and Border Security Subcommittee Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) released the statements below in advance of tomorrow’s hearing.
Chairman Goodlatte: “Our asylum laws are in place to help individuals who are facing truly serious persecution in their countries. Unfortunately, a DHS report shows that there is widespread fraud in the system, which undermines the integrity of our immigration system and hurts U.S. taxpayers. Once individuals are granted asylum, they receive immediate access to all major federal welfare programs. Our asylum laws should be compassionate to those persecuted around the globe, but we must also ensure our compassion isn’t being abused by those seeking to game the system.
“A separate DHS document shows that the Obama Administration is contributing to the problems within our asylum system by abusing our current laws that require detaining certain individuals seeking asylum. These laws are in place to allow immigration authorities to expeditiously determine whether the individual in question is truly facing persecution or trying to game the system, and to prevent bad actors from being released into our communities. Because our immigration laws are so loosely enforced by the Obama Administration, we should not be surprised to see so much fraud in the system. President Obama’s continued refusal to enforce our laws on the books encourages more illegal immigration and invites fraud.”
Subcommittee Chairman Gowdy: “This country has a proud history of providing refuge to victims of persecution, and we should be unwavering in our commitment to be a beacon of freedom and hope to those facing persecution around the world. But when the Obama Administration fails to enforce our immigration laws or turns a blind eye to rampant fraud and abuse, our asylum process is undermined. We should seek to protect the integrity of the asylum system from fraudulent claims by those seeking to do us harm or subvert our rule of law. I look forward to hearing from the witnesses about how we can ensure our asylum process continues to serve those who are truly persecuted.”
All House Judiciary Committee hearings are webcast live at www.judiciary.house.gov. The hearing will take place in 2141 Rayburn House Office Building. For more information on the hearing, click here.
