The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has revealed what it describes as large-scale immigration fraud taking place in Minneapolis, with nearly half of migrant households reportedly engaging in deceptive practices against American citizens.
“Officers encountered blatant marriage fraud, visa overstay, people claiming to work at businesses that can’t be found, forged documents, abuse of the H-1B [white-collar] visa system, abuse of the F-1 [student] visa, and many other discrepancies,” said Joseph Edlow, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

According to Edlow, USCIS is increasing its anti-fraud operations and recently announced new hiring efforts to enlist American workers tasked with verifying migrants’ claims. However, immigration advocacy groups argue that the agency should prioritize delivering benefits to migrants rather than scrutinizing their applications.

Edlow outlined the scope of the Minneapolis operation:

“Since September 19, officers from our fraud detection and national security directorate, working in teams, have conducted over 1,000 site visits across the Minneapolis-St. Paul, area as part of this operation. What they found should shock all of America, focusing on a list of over 1,000 target cases involving more than 900 individuals.”

Breitbart News reports on some of the cases described include:

One individual who had overstayed his visa was found to be the son of a suspected terrorist on the no-fly list. He had already been caught committing marriage fraud, leading to previous denials of immigration benefits. He was arrested and is being sent back to his home country.

Another migrant admitted to purchasing a fraudulent death certificate for $100 to claim he was no longer married. Investigators later discovered his wife—alive and living in Minneapolis—was raising their five children. He also had a second wife in Sweden with three more children.

A migrant who crossed the border illegally in 2023 and was released under the Biden administration later married a U.S. citizen while facing deportation. During their USCIS interview, the couple swore under oath their marriage was genuine, but a same-day site visit raised suspicions. The American spouse ultimately confessed the marriage was fraudulent and withdrew her petition.

Edlow praised the speed of that operation:

“This type of same-day action … from interview to site visit, has really never happened before, and I am incredibly impressed and thankful to the diligent work of the agents who made that happen for the first time, but not for the last time.”

In another instance, a migrant manipulated an elderly U.S. citizen into a fraudulent marriage, subjecting the spouse to threats and mistreatment. Though the victim was able to divorce with family support, relatives remain concerned about possible retaliation.

“These are not victimless crimes,” Edlow emphasized. “Every case of fraud we uncover damages our national security, undermines the integrity of our immigration system, and, as I just gave you an example, has real consequences.”

The DHS findings mark a sharp contrast with recent years, when critics say the Biden administration downplayed evidence of widespread fraud.

Officials also suggested that cultural factors may contribute to such abuses. In countries with low trust in government—such as Somalia, which has a significant migrant community in Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Minneapolis district—fraud and corruption are more common.