A Form I-589 application for asylum and withholding of removal is displayed over an American flag. | Image by Moab Republic/Shutterstock.

Federal immigration investigators allege an attorney with a nationwide practice recycled nearly identical stories of persecution across dozens of asylum cases, filing 118 fraudulent documents and prompting ICE to seek a $470,584 fine.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations issued a Notice of Intent to Fine against attorney Suraj Raj Singh on July 28, the Department of Homeland Security announced Thursday. Singh operates a nationwide practice that primarily represents clients from India seeking asylum before immigration courts, according to DHS.

ICE says declarations filed for Singh’s clients were “identical or nearly identical in language and substance,” repeating the same or nearly the same factual narratives and supporting details about alleged persecution.

The notice covers 54 immigration cases. When combined with a June action against another immigration attorney, ICE has now proposed $725,816 in civil fines over 182 allegedly fraudulent documents across 86 cases.

The alleged copy-paste pattern

DHS General Counsel James Percival described the Singh action as part of a broader effort to protect the integrity of the nation’s asylum system.

“Fraudulent asylum claims threaten the safety of the American people, undermine our immigration system, and delay the removal of dangerous criminal illegal...

Read Full Story: https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMikwFBVV95cUxPcVlYU0pDUHZ2SHdtZGdBVEky...