DHS calls for asylum fraud crackdown

How common is asylum-related fraud, and what are the possible punishments? Yeah, there's really no reliable public reporting on asylum fraud across the whole system. We know isolated organized asylum fraud schemes do happen. Prosecutors have brought serious cases forward. Recent cases in New York-- attorneys who pled guilty to a fraud scheme back in 2023, a Florida imposter attorney that was sentenced to more than 20 years in 2021. But a 2015 GAO report found that between fiscal years 2010 and 2014, asylum claims that were terminated by USCIS because of fraud actually fell from about 103 to 34. So just for comparison, Lindsey, the agency granted more than 76,000 asylum claims during that time-- so really half of a percent here. Possible punishments include cease and desist orders, fines, up to $5,000 per fraudulent document as a first offense, and then close to $12,000 for subsequent. A fraud finding could also be referred to disciplinary authorities. It could lead to expulsion before immigration courts, and in more serious cases, prosecutors can pursue criminal charges. But I do want to make it clear. Denied asylum claims are not fraud. Asylum claims can fail because the applicant lacks evidence, misses deadlines, or doesn't meet the legal standard. That doesn't make them fraudulent. Before you go, you also have new reporting about that shooting near the White House over the weekend. What have you learned? Yeah, we have learned that the alleged gunman in this incident, Nasire Best, who, as we know was later declared dead at the hospital, obtained that handgun, that revolver-- it was a specialized weapon-- illegally on the streets of Baltimore. And ATF investigators have even traced it back to a purchase back in Ohio. But we do know that that was illegally obtained. We also have learned that 5 to 6 US Secret Service officers did return fire during that incident. This is a very large investigative scene. In fact, they are still processing the ballistics-- so still trying to determine an exact number of shots fired. But Lindsey, this was the third incident where Secret Service returned fire over the course of a month. And I've been speaking with agents and Secret Service officials all day about have we ever seen this before. And one source told me, well, I can't remember a time when Secret Service returned fire three times over the course of a year, let alone a month. So definitely pointing to the threat environment and where we are at right now.

Nicole Sganga, thank you. Thank you.