During a congressional hearing this week, USCIS Director Joe Edlow told Congress that fraud investigators at the agency have cracked down on immigration fraud and have uncovered a shocking number of cases where immigrants secured visas or green cards through fraudulent means.
“Over the past year, USCIS has implemented rigorous measures to detect, deter, and disrupt fraud at every stage of the immigration process,” Edlow told Congress:
Since January 20, 2025, USCIS officers have made nearly 33,000 fraud referrals to our Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate — a 138% increase compared to the average yearly referrals of the previous administration. Our Fraud Detection and National Security team completed investigations into more than 21,000 cases, identifying fraud in 65% of them. Our officers conducted over 7,000 site visits and more than 26,000 social media checks to identify national security, public safety, fraud, and anti-American concerns. [Emphasis added]
“Operation Twin Shield focused on more than 1,000 cases with fraud or ineligibility indicators, attempted over 2,000 site visits, and completed nearly 1,500 in-person interviews,” Edlow said:
The operation resulted in the denial of immigration benefits, the filing of numerous Notices to Appear before an immigration judge to initiate removal proceedings, and nearly a dozen arrests by our partners at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). We also gained significant evidence that led to Operation PARRIS (Post-Admission Refugee Reverification and Integrity Strengthening) in Minnesota. [Emphasis added]
As Edlow noted, USCIS’s Operation PARRIS is currently re-reviewing thousands of refugee cases in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, particularly refugees from Somalia.
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