Cuomo Widens a Probe Into Immigration Fraud By Kirk Semple And Jenny Manrique New York Times, May 28, 2009The statement is Cuomo Launches Sweeping Investigation Into Immigration Fraud Across The New York City Area also available [En Espa?±ol]Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo said Thursday that his office had issued more than 50 subpoenas to individuals and businesses in New York City – including numerous immigrant-assistance organizations, a travel agency, an English-language school and a church – as part of a widening investigation into immigration fraud.
Customers have complained that the businesses and their directors have masqueraded as legitimate providers of immigrant services, many offering legal aid they are not authorized or able to provide, officials in Mr. Cuomo’s office said. Some immigrants told investigators that they were falsely promised permanent residency or American citizenship, even though the firms or individuals were not qualified to secure such benefits.
”Immigrant communities across New York City continue to be put in jeopardy by unscrupulous individuals and organizations offering them nothing more than empty promises and false hopes,” Mr. Cuomo said in a statement.
Immigration fraud, often orchestrated by immigrants, has proliferated across the country, victimizing people desperate to gain legal residency or citizenship. Law enforcement officials say such schemes are particularly difficult to uncover and prosecute because many victims are in the country illegally and are hesitant to seek help from the authorities for fear of deportation.[More]
And as you can see, they're not talking about immigration fraud, which is what happens when an immigrant lies to the immigration authorities in order to stay in the US. It's fraud directed against immigrants. That's what Cuomo is interested in stopping, and I'm sure that if he can, he'll arrange for the "victims," (illegal immigrants who were trying to bribe their way into legal status) to stay in the country in order to testify.
