CBP intercepts immigrant visa imposter at Washington-Dulles International Airport

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers stationed at the Washington-Dulles International Airport in Virginia recently intercepted an Ethiopian imposter using an immigrant visa.

After arriving from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the man presented officers with a diversity immigrant visa for admission to the United States. After one officer suspected that the man was not the true bearer of the visa, the man was referred for a more thorough, secondary inspection.

After the man’s biometric data was checked, results concluded that he was not the true bearer of the documents and was refused admission into the United States. While the man was arrested by CBP, he has not been criminally charged at this time.

“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,” Elmer Jarava, acting port director for CBP’s Area Port of Washington Dulles, said. “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.”

Due to provisions of the Privacy Act, the agency has not released the man’s name.