U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is pursuing civil fines exceeding $470,000 against a New York immigration attorney. The attorney, Suraj Raj Singh, is accused of filing fraudulent documents to bolster asylum claims for numerous clients. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated that more than 100 documents submitted by Singh contained virtually identical stories of persecution.
Homeland Security Investigations announced that Singh, whose legal practice primarily aids Indian nationals seeking asylum, received a notice of intent to fine. ICE claims Singh filed 118 forged documents in 54 immigration cases. The agency aims to impose the maximum allowed fine of $470,584.
DHS highlighted the similarity in language and details in the asylum statements submitted by Singh’s clients. These identical narratives allegedly describe various accounts of mistreatment and persecution. DHS General Counsel James Percival expressed that fraudulent claims jeopardize public safety, destabilize the immigration system, and hinder the deportation of dangerous illegal aliens.
Fraudulent asylum claims threaten the safety of the American people, undermine our immigration system, and delay the removal of dangerous criminal illegal aliens.
ICE’s move to penalize Singh is part of the Trump administration’s broader campaign against asylum fraud. In May, DHS legal teams received instructions to intensify actions against fraudulent asylum cases.
The Singh case is notably the second occurrence where DHS has sought penalties against an immigration lawyer under 8 U.S.C. § 1324c(d). This statute penalizes fraud in immigration-related documents.
Previously, ICE issued similar notices against another lawyer, Vinod Doddamani, seeking $255,232 in penalties for alleged document fraud.
Fox News Digital attempted to contact Singh for comments regarding the allegations and fines.