STERLING, Va. — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers intercepted an Ethiopian impostor to an immigrant visa at Washington Dulles International Airport on Sunday.
The man arrived from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and presented a diversity immigrant visa to a CBP officer for admission into the United States. The CBP officer suspected the man was not the true bearer of the immigrant visa and referred him to a secondary examination. A biometric verification confirmed that he was not the true bearer of the immigrant visa.
“The U.S. government offers foreign nationals a means to lawfully immigrate to the United States, but using another person’s identity documents is a very serious violation of U.S. immigration law that could result in criminal prosecution,” said Elmer Jarava, CBP Acting Port Director of the Area Port of Washington Dulles. “Customs and Border Protection officers remain ever vigilant to intercept those who violate our nation’s laws or pose potential harm to the U.S.”
Given the violation, the imposter was refused admission. The Privacy Act prohibits CBP from releasing his name since he was not criminally charged at this time.
“Customs and Border Protection’s inspections of arriving and departing international travelers and cargo is one way in which CBP contributes to our nation’s security, and it’s a responsibility that CBP takes seriously,” said Casey Owen Durst, CBP’s Field Operations Director in Baltimore, the agency’s operational commander in the mid-Atlantic region.
CBP officers routinely examine passenger manifests on arriving and departing international flights, and identify travelers who may require additional inspectional scrutiny. On a typical day, CBP officers processed the admission of more than one million passengers and pedestrians at our nation’s 328 air, land and sea ports of entry, and refused admission to 350 inadmissible persons for violating U.S. immigration laws.
View CBP Snapshot to learn some of what CBP achieves “On a Typical Day.”
Learn how CBP's Office of Field Operations secures our nation’s borders at international Ports of Entry.
Travelers are encouraged to visit CBP’s Travel section to learn more about the CBP admissions process and rules governing travel to and from the U.S.