Ammon Blair, a former agent of Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), highlighted the challenges faced by CBP agents in verifying the authenticity of documents provided by migrants. From his experience, Blair emphasized that the current system is not functional.
Blair expressed his concerns stating, "It is very difficult to know if the document is legitimate... and due to public corruption, the document presented to employers may be 'legitimate' with falsified information". He further added, "At the border we see many UACs (unaccompanied alien children) that either have false documents or don't have documents at all". Finally, he concluded by saying, "The UAC will then tell us their biographical information and there is no way of verifying if what they are saying is true."
Fox News reported that CBP has noticed an influx of migrants from Guinea using counterfeit passports to enter the United States. According to a notice from Border Patrol, most Guinea passports issued after June 2023 are fraudulent. The report also suggested potential complicity on part of the Guinea government. Many adult migrants reportedly alter their documentation to present themselves as minors, following advice that this method facilitates easier entry.
In a conversation with Federal Newswire, Blair explained how the system allows Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) to be released into the United States. He said, "Due to current prosecutorial discretion policies and directives, Border Patrol releases certain Illegal Aliens into the country based on their Country of Origin (Foreign Citizenship) and familial status (Family Unit or Family Group) not on their asylum (credible fear) claim or refugee status".
According to a fact sheet from Health and Human Services (HHS) dated December 1, 2023, HHS is responsible for UACs who lack lawful immigration status, are under 18 years old and do not have an available parent or legal guardian in the United States. The program, initiated in 2002 under the Homeland Security Act and further defined in the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008, places UACs under the care of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). Referrals to this program have increased, reaching 128,904 in FY2022. As of December 1, 2023, HHS cares for 10,536 unaccompanied children with an average stay of 28 days.
Blair also warned Federal Newswire about potential issues arising from employers' inability to correctly verify documents provided by illegal aliens who obtained false documents through cartels. This could lead to businesses hiring minors with inconsistent information on their counterfeit documents.
Verifyi9 provides guidance on detecting fake documents for employers stating that they are "not required to be a documents expert, but only to exercise 'reasonable care' to ensure that the documents are valid… in other words, that they are not an obvious forgery." It further instructs employers to accept documents that "reasonably appear to be genuine."
