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2mo ago

ICE Seeks Six-Figure Fine for Attorney Over Alleged Patterned Asylum Fraud

The action follows a DHS memo directing ICE to pursue lawyers who file false asylum claims and signals a shift toward civil penalties as the administrative process moves forward.

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A sign on the exterior of the building that houses the United States Homeland Security Department in Washington, D.C. | [Getty Images]
un homme remplit, le 21 septembre 2002, des formulaires pour des sans-papiers devant le théâtre Gérard Philipe à Saint-Denis transformé pour la journée en bureau de recensement par la coordinaton 93. AFP PHOTO MARTIN BUREAU (Photo by Martin BUREAU / AFP) (Photo by MARTIN BUREAU/AFP via Getty Images)

Overview

  • Homeland Security Investigations served five notices of intent to fine attorney Vinod Doddamani, which ICE announced Tuesday, seeking more than $250,000 for allegedly filing 64 fraudulent documents across 32 asylum cases.
  • DHS says many of the asylum declarations and supporting papers were identical or nearly identical in language and factual detail, which investigators say shows a patterned practice rather than isolated errors.
  • The enforcement is an administrative civil action not a criminal charge, and Doddamani has the right to contest the notices through the agency process before any final penalty is imposed.
  • Officials say the move implements a May directive from DHS General Counsel James Percival to hold attorneys civilly accountable for false asylum filings and was described by DHS as a warning to other practitioners.
  • The case could change how immigration attorneys practice and how DHS enforces asylum fraud claims because a final administrative finding or litigation could set a precedent that affects access to counsel and future disciplinary actions.