STERLING, Va. — U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers intercepted a male Liberian posing as a United States citizen at Washington Dulles International Airport Thursday.
CBP is withholding the man’s name because he was not criminally charged.
The 25-year-old man arrived on a flight from Brussels, Belgium and processed his admission on an Automated Passport Control self-help kiosk. He then presented his kiosk receipt, passport and Pennsylvania driver’s license to a CBP officer, who suspected the man to be an impostor. A facial comparison scan supported the officer’s suspicion and the officer referred the man to a comprehensive secondary examination. During that examination, the man admitted his true identity and that the passport was not his.
As an impostor, CBP ordered the Liberian man removed and the man faces a five-year ban from returning to the U.S.
“This case should serve as a reminder to all would-be impostors that exceptionally trained Customs and Border Protection officers and enhanced facial comparison technology await them at Washington Dulles International Airport and that this combination significantly restricts their ability to deliberately circumvent our nation’s immigration laws,” said Daniel Mattina, CBP Area Port Director for the Area Port of Washington Dulles. “There are legal ways to travel or immigrate to the United States and using another person’s travel documents isn’t one of those lawful ways.”
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.
“Impostors deliberately violate our nation’s immigration laws and they pose a significant national security threat, especially when transnational criminal organizations or terrorist groups use legitimate U.S. passports to smuggle in dangerous people who wish to do us harm,” said Casey Owen Durst, Director, CBP’s Field Operations Director in Baltimore. “Intercepting this impostor is a direct reflection of CBP’s continuing commitment to enforcing all U.S. laws, including immigration laws, which helps protect our nation, our citizens and our economy from all potential threats.”
CBP’s Office of Field Operations
Almost a million times each day, CBP officers welcome international travelers into the U.S. In screening both foreign visitors and returning U.S. citizens, CBP uses a variety of techniques to intercept narcotics, unreported currency, weapons, prohibited agriculture, and other illicit products, and to assure that global tourism remains safe and strong.
Learn more about what CBP did during "A Typical Day" in 2017.
CBP's border security mission is led at ports of entry by CBP officers from the Office of Field Operations. Please visit CBP Ports of Entry to learn more about how CBP’s Office of Field Operations secures our nation’s borders.
Learn more about CBP at CBP.gov.