U.S. Border Patrol agents in one region of the U.S.-Mexico border say there is a new trend of fraud emerging among people caught illegally entering the country between official entryways.
Agents in the El Centro Sector, which spans from eastern California to western Arizona, in September began to see single adults claiming to be minors or part of families when they are apprehended for illegal entry, according to government data obtained by the Washington Examiner.
Since Sept. 8, agents have uncovered 29 attempts of adults pretending to be a part of a family, whether as the other parent or as one of the teenage children.
“They are claiming to be an adult dad with a minor child. And in fact, they are both adults and it’s not a minor,” said Gloria Chavez, the top official for the El Centro Sector, during a recent press conference in Calexico, Calif. “And in conversations in interviews, we are able to determine that fact, that they are not related, there is no familial relationship. These are just two individuals that know the system, so then they made that up.”
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Chavez said people making fraudulent claims were attempting “to take advantage of the immigration loopholes that exist.” – READ MORE