A targeted immigration enforcement sweep in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area has revealed extensive cases of fraud, officials said.
The operation, named “Operation Twin Shield,” is described as the first initiative of its kind focused on a single metropolitan area at such a large scale.
Authorities reported discovering a variety of violations, from sham marriages to forged documents and visa abuses.
USCIS Director Joseph Edlow characterized the findings as alarming.
“Officers encountered blatant marriage fraud, visa overstay, people claiming to work at businesses that can’t be found, forged documents, abuse of the H1B visa system, abuse of the F1 visa, and many other discrepancies,” he said Tuesday.
“What they found should shock all of America.”
The operation ran from Sept. 19 through Sept. 28.
Fraud detection officers carried out nearly 1,000 site visits across the Twin Cities, identifying evidence of fraud, compliance issues, public safety concerns or national security risks in 275 cases — roughly 44 percent of those interviewed.
Four individuals were arrested, while 42 others were referred to ICE for further enforcement action, OANN reports.
Officials noted that Minnesota’s Somali immigrant population has grown significantly, now exceeding 82,000 residents, many living in areas represented by Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN).
These demographic factors, combined with unspecified red flags, made the region a priority for this focused enforcement effort.
Among the cases uncovered, some involved elaborate marriage fraud schemes.
One individual purchased a Kenyan death certificate for $100 to claim his previous marriage had ended, despite his wife residing in Minneapolis with five of their children.
The Western Journal reports that the same person also had a spouse living in Sweden with three more children.
Another immigrant admitted to engaging in fraudulent marriage practices only hours after insisting her marriage was legitimate.
Visa violations were also prevalent.
Investigators found instances of overstays, fraudulent documentation and misuse of both H1B and F1 visas.
Notably, the son of a suspected terrorist had overstayed his visa and was denied benefits due to fraud. Edlow emphasized that such abuses pose a threat to both public safety and national security.
Edlow praised the coordination between USCIS officers and federal agents during the operation.
“When you look at what we’re seeing as concerning patterns of fraud, we’re seeing good cooperation here, especially among our field office working with our federal agents,” he said.
“It just makes sense to start in a city where we have a sense of what’s going on and where we can try to make an impact on certain things, like the immigration fraud from marriages and things of that nature.”
The director stressed that this operation marks the beginning of a broader crackdown.
“At the end of the day, this is what the government should be doing,” Edlow said. “And when you see what has been uncovered by these diligent officers over the past two weeks, that’s only the tip of the iceberg regarding immigration fraud.”
“That ultimately is, in my opinion, the same thing as a threat to our national security, a threat to public safety, and something that we’ve got to take seriously.”
USCIS has signaled that similar enforcement initiatives may be launched in other cities based on emerging fraud patterns.
Edlow vowed, “We will relentlessly pursue everyone involved in undermining the integrity of our immigration system and laws.”
Officials noted that continued monitoring will help determine where further targeted operations are needed to combat fraudulent activity.
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