Andy Biggs

02/08/2024 | Press release | Archived content

Congressman Biggs Demands DHS Accountability for Abuse of Marriage Parole Program

This week, Congressman Andy Biggs (R-AZ) sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas regarding the Biden-Harris administration's unilateral declaration to grant parole to illegal aliens married to American citizens, allowing them to apply for lawful permanent resident status without the statutory penalties that accompany illegal entry. This latest expansion of parole is likely to result in the growth of an existing international criminal network used to allow aliens to illegally enter the country through fraudulent marriages.

Marriage fraud has been one of the major avenues used by aliens to illegally enter the country under the guise of legitimacy. Its use is so common that Homeland Security Investigations has investigated and prosecuted numerous criminal rings, some based on familial relationships and friendships while others were fueled by organized criminal enterprises charging hefty fees for arranging fraudulent marriages.

Marriage fraud is also known to be a tool used by terrorist organizations. Members of both Al Qaeda and Hezbollah have used marriage fraud to allow their members to enter the United States under the guise of legitimacy. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the architect of 9/11, said that marriage fraud is "a fantastic mechanism for [terrorist] operatives to acquire valid documents."

Congressman Biggs's letter demands that Secretary Mayorkas provide answers to the following questions:

  1. How many cases of marriage fraud does DHS identify each year?
  2. What are the current procedures for identifying marriage fraud?
  3. How many cases of marriage fraud does DHS estimate go undetected each year?
  4. How much does DHS anticipate instances of marriage fraud schemes to increase due to the implementation of this new parole program?
  5. Was there a consideration for the likelihood that at least some of the qualifying individuals under this new program would only be qualified due to fraudulent marriages?
  6. Beyond DHS's current system for detecting marriage fraud, what further measures are DHS planning on implementing to better detect marriage fraud due to this new parole program?

The letter requests that the questions are answered by August 31, 2024.

"Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and Alejandro Mayorkas are the architects of the border crisis that has destroyed so many American families," said Congressman Biggs.

"Instead of securing the border and cracking down on lawlessness, the Biden-Harris administration continues to find new ways to reward illegal aliens. Their apathy towards enforcing our nation's laws serves as the biggest incentive for illegal immigration to continue. It's time the Biden-Harris administration takes seriously the dangerous national security crisis they have created, and puts American citizens ahead of the desires of illegal aliens.

"I am grateful for the support from my colleagues, and I look forward to Secretary Mayorkas's cooperation and provided information."

Cosigners of this letter are: Rep. Neal Dunn (R-FL), Rep. Josh Brecheen (R-OK), Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN), Rep. Bob Good (R-VA), Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Rpe. Ralph Norman (R-SC), Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ), and Rep. Michael Cloud (R-TX)

Fox News covered the letter here.

The letter may be read here.