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2006-09-08 -Lurid Crime Tales-

19 arrested in sham marriage scheme - green cards for cash

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Posted by Snesing Glomoting5887 2006-09-08 00:00|| E-Mail|| Front Page|| [11133 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Authorities arrested 19 people Thursday after uncovering a scheme that arranged as many as 1,000 phony marriages in northern Virginia between U.S. citizens seeking cash and illegal immigrants seeking green cards, going back as far as 2002. Most of those involved in the scheme were from Ghana. Charged were "facilitators" who brokered the marriages for fees ranging from $2,500 to $6,000, illegal immigrants who wanted a marriage as a way to obtain permanent residency, and U.S. citizens who received initial payments of $500 plus monthly installments totaling up to $3,600 for participating. The charges include immigration fraud and marriage fraud, punishable by 10 years and 5 years in prison, respectively.

Poor SwissTex. Clearly this is a common misuse of the word facilitator.

Posted by trailing wife 2006-09-08 08:52|| 2006-09-08 08:52|| Front Page Top

#2 How about "pimp" instead TW?

Posted by Gravise Thoth9486 2006-09-08 10:46|| 2006-09-08 10:46|| Front Page Top

#3 Too bad there is no possibility of deporting all parties of these sham marriages.

Posted by ed 2006-09-08 11:02|| 2006-09-08 11:02|| Front Page Top

#4 Food for thought: Why should arranged marriages be illegal in the United States? What makes this any different than arranged marriages in other countries? There is no law in the US that mandates people be "in love" or even have met before the nuptuals. Understandably, many of these people want to be allowed to remain in this great country of ours, however, I don't see where a crime has necessarily been committed.

Ethically, these marriages are probably not a good idea, but deportation on the grounds of marriage without the sake of "love" (which is a 20th century concept, by the way), is flimsy.

Posted by Vickerina">Vickerina 2006-09-08 11:25|| 2006-09-08 11:25|| Front Page Top

#5 There is no law in the US that mandates people be "in love" or even have met before the nuptuals

Actually, US Imigration law requires that the couple prove that they have met in person at least once in order to get a visa. Its on the USCIS website.

Posted by Cowboy is a compliment 2006-09-08 11:37|| 2006-09-08 11:37|| Front Page Top

#6 Why should arranged marriages be illegal in the United States

Because the reason betrothed and spouses are given visas to enter is that this is a humanitarian gesture to keep a committed family together. Sham marriages solely to get visas are an abuse of the immigration law and its intent.

Posted by lotp 2006-09-08 11:45|| 2006-09-08 11:45|| Front Page Top

#7 Pimp? I wouldn't choose that term, Gravise Thoth9486, as it's generally used to refer to the rental of sex, rather than the sale of legalized residence. It does have a certain rhetorical effect, though... ;-)

Posted by trailing wife 2006-09-08 11:49|| 2006-09-08 11:49|| Front Page Top

#8 "Why should arranged marriages be illegal in the United States?"

Generally speaking, "arranged marriages" are not against the law. People that have immigrated here from India still "arrange" marriages for their kids.

However, these marriages referred to in the article are more of a financial transaction, with the intent to defraud the US government. Or, in other words, obtaining something by way of false pretext for financial compensation.

Now do you understand?

Posted by Texas Redneck 2006-09-08 14:16|| 2006-09-08 14:16|| Front Page Top

#9 Vickerina, if you think about it biologically and Darwinistically, you might come to the conclusion that arranged marriages are bad for the gene pool. I mean, if you are someone who looks like Joan Blondell and you are coerced into a marriage with Achmed Amenihandjob, who would otherwise be biologically unable to attract a mate because he is so frickin ugly and unpleasant, and you have children, that will pollute the gene pool. Not only that but it prevents the equivalent of Clark Gable from having any chance with you. Instead, he has to settle for some gal who weighs 300 pounds and sports a mustache. Think about the impact a process like that could have on a society over a period of several hundred years. Not only that but the concept of romance goes right out the window and along with it most of the great art, literature and music that Western Civilization has ever produced.

It might also produce some extremely unhappy people because they are not going to get the good lovin' they need if there is no physical attraction and no emotional or intellectual connection. You might as well do it with a goat.

Posted by Ebbang Uluque6305 2006-09-08 15:13|| 2006-09-08 15:13|| Front Page Top

#10 Which pretty much explains ~~a lot~~ everything about Islam, right there, Ebbang Uluque6305.

Posted by Zenster 2006-09-08 17:43|| 2006-09-08 17:43|| Front Page Top

#11 Ive been through the Fiancee Visa process when I brought my wife over here. Here is a brief overview of the process. For an aspiring couple it can be a very long and frustrating process.

Arranged marrages are not illegal per-se. But Visa fraud is. A K-1 fiancee visa is about the quickest immigration-type visa you can get. Its even faster then a spousal visa (where you married outside the US and now want to bring you spouse in). Fiancee visa is designed to allow an american citizen to bring in a fiancee for the intent of marriage and starting a life together and the process reflects that.

A Fiancee Visa requires that the couple meet in person and have recent evidence of such. (I had airline tickets, passport pages, and pictures of us and her family). And the US Citizen has to sign a affadavit of support to support financally the non-resident (citizen or legal resident) for a long period of time. That is a big commitment in itself - if the non-citizen seeks welfare or other means-based benefits uncle sam can come after the citizen for the cash.

Once a visa is awarded (after an interview, medical exam, and background checks and God knows what else) it has a time limit of (I think) 90 days to be used and the visa is only legal for 90 days after entry (and only 1 entry) - during that time the couple should get legally married and apply for an 'Adjustment of Status' to get a 'conditional' green card for the non-citizen. the AOS entails an interview and you must show that you are merging your finances and that process can take several months.

The conditional green card last for 2 years at the end of which you need to apply for 'removal of conditions' showing further evidence that you are commited to the marrage.

Its possible for the non-citizen to have the conditions removed early in cases of physical and mental abuse (and there are lots of stores of false claims of that as well) or death of the citizen-spouse.

Posted by CrazyFool 2006-09-08 18:21|| 2006-09-08 18:21|| Front Page Top

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