Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 30
ICE Seeks $470,584 Fine Against Attorney Over 118 Allegedly Fraudulent Asylum Filings
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 30

ICE Seeks $470,584 Fine Against Attorney Over 118 Allegedly Fraudulent Asylum Filings

1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 30

Summary

  • $470,584 in proposed civil penalties targets New York immigration attorney Suraj Raj Singh, whom ICE accuses of filing 118 fraudulent documents in 54 asylum cases.
  • DHS said declarations backing Singh's clients used identical or nearly identical persecution narratives, with the alleged fraud spanning dozens of cases involving a practice focused largely on Indian nationals.
  • The notice is not yet final: a Notice of Intent to Fine gives Singh a chance to respond before any penalty is imposed.
  • The case is the second time DHS has pursued civil penalties against an immigration attorney under 8 U.S.C. § 1324c(d), after five notices last month sought $255,232 from attorney Vinod Doddamani.
  • The action extends a broader Trump administration push against alleged asylum fraud after DHS in May directed its lawyers to step up enforcement.

Insights

Did ICE uncover a copy-and-paste asylum scheme, or could similar refugee stories be mistaken for fraud in Singh’s 54 cases?
If a lawyer files false asylum papers, who pays the real price—the attorney, the client, or the immigration system itself?
Why is DHS using a rarely invoked document-fraud law against immigration attorneys, and what could it mean for asylum clients nationwide?