Visa fraud is big business around world<BR> Investigation continues at consulate

Last month, the U.S. Consulate in Nuevo Laredo reopened after a four-month investigation that led to the arrest of four employees who allegedly sold visas.

This week, investigators flown from Washington, D.C, were still combing through documents and interviewing people at the U.S. Consulate in Juárez, making it clear that visa fraud is far from an unusual occurrence.

In fact, the Diplomatic Security Service, part of the State Department, opened 250 visa fraud investigations worldwide since October, officials said.

"Visas are really valuable property," said Nida Emmons, the spokeswoman for U.S. Consul Maurice Parker in Juárez. "They are counterfeited, sold on the street, stolen en route to the consulate. Consulates and embassies around the world deal with it."

In Juárez, FBI agents are helping the Diplomatic Security Service determine whether several current or former employees sold laser visas -- the new, more secure border-crossing cards -- and investor visas, which are granted to business men who invest in the United States, FBI officials said.

All visa services resumed in Juárez last week, even as the investigation continues.

On the streets of Juárez, prices for stolen or fake documents vary widely from a couple hundred dollars to a couple thousand dollars.

Mexican state police said vendors operate by word of mouth, or approach cars with Mexican plates on the international bridges just like the fruit vendors.

In one case in April, about 350 Juarenses claimed they lost their laser visas and other documents to a man who offered them jobs at his ghost maquiladora, Intermundial de Componentes de México S.A., which supposedly made microwave ovens. The man, Alejandro Venzor Hans, took the job-seekers' visas under the pretense of signing them up for training in El Paso, police said. Police shut down the operation after a month and recovered 36 laser visas. Venzor fled.

Besides the visas, police said, people gave Venzor birth certificates and marriage certificates, which experts call "breeder" documents because they can be the basis for obtaining real visas.

Jessica Vaughan, a senior policy analyst at the Center for Immigration Studies, a research center in Washington, D.C., said birth certificates are the major problem at consulates around the world.

"It's hard to rely on documents from other countries," she said. "They are often handwritten and issued by obscure entities. It's very easy to falsify."

People who get caught offering fake documents for their visa applications face being banned from applying for life, immigration officials warned.

People caught with fake visas will be banned for five years from applying on the first offense, banned for 10 years on the second offense and will be prosecuted the third time.

Most of the 68 people arrested for visa fraud around the world since October were outsiders, not consular employees, officials said.

But experts said insider fraud is disturbing because it uses real documents sold to people without the proper interviews and background checks. Once issued, the documents will be undetected at points of entries.

In Nuevo Laredo, a Mexican woman allegedly recruited customers for four consular employees who sold visas for up to $1,500 apiece. The four were identified as Miguel Partida, 41, a naturalized U.S. citizen, and Sergio Genaro Ochoa-Alarcon, 31, Benjamin Antonio Ayala-Morales, 34, and Ramon Alberto Torres-Galvan, 34, all Mexican citizens. They were charged with conspiracy to commit visa fraud and face up to five years in prison.

All consular employees undergo background checks and receive instruction regarding "ethical standards," said Stuart Patt, a spokesman for the Consular Affairs Bureau in Washington, D.C. Patt said that every consulate has a fraud-prevention manager or unit.

Most counterfeiting and document theft rings are small operations, but officials said they cater to bigger, darker criminals.

"People engaged in the business of counterfeiting are very often engaged in other illegal activity, drugs and possibly terrorism," Patt said.

Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, combating visa fraud has become one of many anti-terrorism projects.

The drug connection is clear. For example, in 1999, the FBI's Operation Southwest Express nabbed 98 drug dealers operating in Juárez and Tijuana bringing multiple tons of cocaine and marijuana into the United States, thanks in part to visas they bought from consular officers in Juárez and elsewhere.

One of these officers was Aracelia Betancis, a 40-year-old mother who was arrested last year and has since married an El Paso law enforcement officer. She starts her two-year sentence this summer.

FBI officials said Betancis didn't know the visas she sold to businessmen friends ended up in the hands of drug traffickers.

Louie Gilot may be reached at lgilot@elpasotimes.com The Associated Press contributed to this report

There's a reason this story is coming out in concert with yesterday's stories...

Mexican ID not valid, a 'threat,' FBI says

FBI Criticizes Mexican Consular I.D. Cards

Another Amnesty push by President Bush is in the air. The smokescreen will be, "we need to normalize these people, so that we can keep track of them."

Bush attempted both Amnesty and socialized prescription drugs last year, and got neither. After the dust settles from this President's current Incremental Hillarycare fiasco, we're gonna get the next stab in the back from him on the matter of Illegals.

I see the recording of undocumented workers as a good thing, not as a way to legalize an illegal. Stopping the flow of illegals is extremely difficult and costly or it would have already been done. As things now stand there is no incentive for illegals to expose themselves and, as a result, or only discovered and deported randomly and haphazardly.

If they are given an opportunity to sign up, work hard and obey the law, they then have a chance to become legal the honest way. That way, we know who they are, where they are, what they are doing and for whom. Then those who are found who are not on the list have no leg to stand on and can easily be sent back.

It ain't perfect but it is better than what we have.

I see the recording of undocumented workers as a good thing, not as a way to legalize an illegal.

This statement contradicts the following statement.

If they are given an opportunity to sign up, work hard and obey the law, they then have a chance to become legal the honest way. That way, we know who they are, where they are, what they are doing and for whom. Then those who are found who are not on the list have no leg to stand on and can easily be sent back.

Your reasoning here is a perfect confirmation of my hunch about how the problem with visa fraud will be spun to justify an Amnesty for Illegals.
Granting Amnesties to Illegals, who by definition don't respect our laws, is an affront to all of the immigrant candidates who respect our laws and try to go through the proper channels.
Here's an iron-clad guarantee: any Amnesty will necessarily result in a larger problem with Illegals, because more will be encouraged to bypass our laws and take that route.

You are correct about my contradiction. What I was thinking, but not saying correctly, was that this was a way to allow illegals to become legal through some legitimate avenue rather than just granting amnesty to them all. That would result in what you suggest - rewarding illegal activity.

As I understand it, this would be a one time offer. All future immigrants must register first or be illegal and vulnerable. That addresses your concerns, IMO.

As I said, due to practical considerations, this is a reasonable alternative to doing nothing or to any other suggestion so far. Closing the borders is not a reasonable alternative because of the near impossibility of it as well as the expense. Rounding them all up and sending them back has similar problems. In addition you have a large and loud advocacy working against all solutions called the Democrat Party, in addition to other leftists groups.

This registration and amnesty which could lead citizenship is a good idea.

This is a distinction without a difference. To "allow Illegals to become legal is to give them Amensty," thereby rewarding their Illegal activity.

As I understand it, this would be a one time offer. All future immigrants must register first or be illegal and vulnerable. That addresses your concerns, IMO.

It was a "one-time offer" the last time it was offered in 1986. That we are discussing a second "one time offer" doesn't address my concerns, it confirms them.

This registration and amnesty which could lead citizenship is a good idea.

At the top you said it wasn't an Amnesty, and now you're saying it is.
In any case, it's a bad idea that's been tried before, and the failure of the earlier attempt is what has landed us in the current predicament.
The idea that worked before was the systematic deportation of Illegals in the 1950s. Repeating that success will have the salutory benefit of addressing most of my concerns about Illegals.

As I said, due to practical considerations, this is a reasonable alternative to doing nothing or to any other suggestion so far.

What's wrong with leaving them illegal? For one then they can be deported when they act up, we don't need to take on more citizens who are likely to need government handout programs due to lack of education and language skills. I'm not for door-to-door searches but some illegals need deportation, others maybe not unless they are caught in DWIs, shoplifting, etc. I see no point in making people legal who didn't choose the legal route in the first place, many would return to Mexico at some point even on their own ---why try to stop that?

Another Amnesty push by President Bush is in the air.

I sure hope not ---for one just like the last time, then all the millions of illegals we now have would be eligible for welfare, SSI, and more handout programs than they are eligible for right now, they can sponsor indigent family members ---just like we've seen with the last bunch who were given amnesty. Once given amnesty, we're stuck with them, as it is now it's better ----they know they can be deported and it keeps them a little more in line. If they want citizenship, there are already ways for them to do that ----even if it might require standing in line with all the others going the legal route, I see no reason to reward those who made their choice to do things against the law but now believe they should be given special treatment.

At the top you said it wasn't an Amnesty, and now you're saying it is.

Now your are just being picky. Above I said that registration could lead to amnesty if they behaved themselves.

In any case, it's a bad idea that's been tried before, and the failure of the earlier attempt is what has landed us in the current predicament.

The failure of the earlier attempt can be laid at the feet of the Clinton administration, with Gore in the forefront, which flooded this country with illegals in the hope of perpetual power. They are the ones who not only did not enforce it but worked diligently against it. Now the problem is much more difficult, another Clinton gift to posterity.

The idea that worked before was the systematic deportation of Illegals in the 1950s. Repeating that success will have the salutary benefit of addressing most of my concerns about Illegals.

Do you not see a difference in the magnitude of the problem in the 50s versus today? In the event that you don't please tell how you would go about this logistically, cost wise, and in the teeth of the obvious political opposition?

.... we don't need to take on more citizens who are likely to need government handout programs due to lack of education and language skills.

Aren't they already getting much of that, at least in some states? The Registration program, as I understand it, does not grant them amnesty until after five years of problem free living. The trouble makers wuld still be kicked out during that time.

Here's an iron-clad guarantee: any Amnesty will necessarily result in a larger problem with Illegals, because more will be encouraged to bypass our laws and take that route.

Amen to that, the people advocating "regularization" act like that all the illegals that could potentially come are already here. They have no concept of the extent of Mexican poverty. Furthermore, the ones here have taken great risks to cross. Imagine how many will come when they realize there is no deterrence.

Also every illegal working at a low paying job will no longer be eligible for that job, they would have to have minimum wage paying jobs and their employers would have to replace them with a new set of illegals ---- the guy with low skills whose employer wants to pay $50 a week to do gardening would have to get government assistance and the employer would have to find a new illegal. That's why welfare program spending jumped very high after 1986, not only did illegals become elegible for welfare but were also able to bring in many impoverished relatives also able to then collect welfare ----look at how many ended up on SSI and Medicaid.

I'm for deporting all those committing felony document fraud with stolen social security numbers and stolen birth certificates etc, and also all those illegals unable to find steady work ----in California, you can find illegals begging for jobs in Home Depot lots ----that is not a good situation for them or us. As far as those who are quietly working and not accessing any government services, some would be too hard to find and deport without door-to-door searches ----I think we should just leave them as they are. This type has left their family in Mexico, often is working to send money back and are more likely to return to Mexico themselves when they can ---what's the point in changing their status?

As far as those who are quietly working and not accessing any government services, some would be too hard to find and deport without door-to-door searches ----I think we should just leave them as they are. This type has left their family in Mexico, often is working to send money back and are more likely to return to Mexico themselves when they can ---what's the point in changing their status?

Although I don't see the situation exactly as you do (for instance, in Dallas illegals make more along the line of $30 - $50/day rather than per week) I think your view is reasonable and it is probably the one that will prevail.

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