U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has opened a new front in the war on fraud with a first-of-its-kind policy fining attorneys for filing fraudulent asylum claims on behalf of illegal immigrants. James Percival, general counsel for the Department of Homeland Security, announced that the move puts fraudsters “on notice.”

Cracking Down on Fraud

Last month, Percival issued a directive authorizing ICE attorneys to take enforcement actions against immigration attorneys who file false asylum claims in court. The directive is part of a broader effort to stop the abuse of the asylum system by illegal immigrants and attorneys. In a statement, Percival said that “fraudulent asylum claims threaten the safety of Americans by overwhelming our burdened immigration system and delaying the removal of dangerous criminal aliens.”

According to ICE, the agency has fined an attorney over $255,000 for filing multiple fraudulent claims on behalf of Indian immigrants. The attorney, Vinod Doddamani, allegedly filed 64 fraudulent documents, including declarations that were identical or nearly identical in language and substance. ICE said that Doddamani operates a nationwide practice of filing asylum applications on behalf of mostly Indian immigrants in immigration courts.

Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.