(José Niño, Headline USA) The Department of Homeland Security announced it will pursue $255,232 in civil penalties against Vinod Doddamani, an immigration attorney who primarily represents Indian nationals, for allegedly submitting fraudulent asylum applications, the Center for Immigration Studies reported.
ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations directorate issued five Notices of Intent to Fine against Doddamani on June 22. The government alleges he prepared and filed 64 fraudulent documents across 32 immigration cases. Federal officials claim the asylum applications contained “alien declarations that are identical or nearly identical in language and substance, containing the same or nearly the same factual narrative and supporting details regarding the alleged persecution.”
The enforcement action relies on section 274C of the Immigration and Nationality Act, a seldom invoked civil provision that Congress added in 1990 and amended through IIRIRA in 1996. The law establishes penalties ranging from $500 to $3,988 per document for first offenses and up to $9,970 for subsequent violations.
A May 26 DHS directive instructed ICE to develop anti-fraud policies enforcing this statute, granting ICE attorneys expanded authority to pursue immigration lawyers who file false asylum claims.
The procedures governing these prosecutions require agents to serve Notices of Intent to Fine on alleged offenders, who may then request hearings before administrative law judges within the Office of the Chief Administrative Hearing Officer.
Attorneys found liable face consequences beyond financial penalties. Bar associations generally take a dim view of fraud, potentially threatening licenses. Immigration attorneys holding green cards could become deportable under final section 274C orders.
Doddamani told Fox News he denies “any wrongdoing,” claiming “DHS has the wrong suspect.” He blamed “a rogue employee” and his “office manager” for the filings in question, adding that “in a certain sense, I really feel discriminated by this country for at least the last 25 years.”
DHS General Counsel James Percival defended the enforcement action as essential to national security. “Fraudulent asylum claims threaten the safety of Americans by overwhelming our burdened immigration system and delaying the removal of dangerous criminal aliens,” Percival stated. “For too long, immigration attorneys have not been held to the same ethical standard as other attorneys. Under President Trump, this will no longer be tolerated.”
José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino
