The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) intends to impose over $470,000 in civil penalties on a New York immigration lawyer accused of submitting fraudulent documents in support of clients’ asylum claims. This involves allegations of filing over 100 documents with nearly identical persecution stories.
Homeland Security Investigations has issued a notice of intent to fine attorney Suraj Raj Singh. Singh’s nationwide practice mainly involves representing Indian nationals seeking asylum in immigration courts, as stated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
ICE accuses Singh of crafting and submitting 118 fraudulent documents in 54 immigration cases. The agency seeks the maximum allowable fine of $470,584.
According to DHS, the asylum declarations accompanying Singh’s clients’ applications were “identical or nearly identical” in content, sharing the same narrative of persecution.
DHS General Counsel James Percival commented, “Fraudulent asylum claims compromise the safety of Americans, weaken our immigration system, and delay the removal of dangerous criminal illegal aliens.” He emphasized the administration’s commitment to holding attorneys accountable for such deceptions.
A notice of intent to fine represents a preliminary enforcement move, granting the recipient a chance to respond before penalties are finalized.
This action fits into the broader Trump administration strategy to address alleged asylum fraud. In May, DHS attorneys received instructions to increase enforcement on fraudulent asylum claims.
The Singh case is the second instance where DHS seeks civil penalties against an immigration lawyer under 8 U.S.C. § 1324c(d), which penalizes immigration document fraud. ICE aims for a $470,584 fine against Singh for allegedly filing fraudulent claims in 54 asylum cases.
Last month, ICE issued five penalty notices to attorney Vinod Doddamani, seeking a total of $255,232 for similar immigration document fraud allegations.
Fox News Digital attempted to contact Singh for comments. Preston Mizell, a writer for Fox News Digital, covers breaking news.