Government Fraud Investigations

[bigdog 376]

Government fraud investigations: FDNS

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) created a special investigative unit known as the Fraud Detection and National Security (FDNS) Directorate. According to DHS: "FDNS was created to strengthen the ability of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to provide the right benefit to the right person at the right time; and no benefit to the wrong person."

In addition to the DHS employees who form the core of the organization, there are also private contractors, employed to conduct H1B site visits and undertake certain other background checks.

The FDNS collects and compiles data concerning those who seek immigration benefits for themselves or for others. They seek to validate the authenticity of legitimate petitioners and applicants as well as detect fraud perpetrated by unscrupulous individuals and companies.

FDNS prepares reports, such as the 2009 H1B Fraud Benefit Analysis Report. They prepare fraud profiles that assist adjudicators with detecting potentially fraudulent petitions. They also act as liaison between the USCIS and other agencies, such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the State Department, and the Department of Labor.

According to DHS: "FDNS and U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) have developed and implemented a joint anti-fraud strategy to enhance DHS' effectiveness in detecting, deterring, and combating immigration benefit fraud. By identifying those who are attempting to defraud the system, USCIS will also be able to provide better service to those who are legally entitled to the benefits. The FDNS organization consists of more than 700 FDNS Immigration Officers, Intelligence Research Specialists, and Analysts located in field offices throughout the U.S."

This program is still in its infancy, as evidenced by the poor quality of the "fraud benefit" reports that have been issued thus far. Similarly, the site visit program has been highly effective in some areas, while almost worthless in others. This function has shown definite improvement over the past year, however.

One of the more important, but little known functions of FDNS is their liaison work between the State Department's Fraud Prevention Unit (FPU) and the USCIS in the context of H1B petitions returned by overseas consular offices. While some of these petitions are returned simply because the overseas visa officer disagreed with the USCIS adjudicator's decision, other returns involve legitimate questions of the continuing validity of the petition.

The role of FDNS has been expanding over the past few years and will likely continue to expand as the various immigration agencies consolidate their intelligence sharing capabilities.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Do you have a source for this information? It would help.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Sounding more and more like the old "People's Committee for State Security" which had the 1st and 2nd Directorates. AKA...the KGB

[unlockingsky 94]

i thought the kgb does more than immigration stuff