Indian-origin lawyer who helped Indians get asylum in US faces Rs 4 cr penalty

A New York-based Indian-origin immigration lawyer is facing a Rs 4 crore fine after US authorities accused him of submitting nearly identical asylum claims for dozens of clients, most of them Indian nationals, as part of a wider crackdown on alleged immigration fraud.

The US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency is seeking to slap civil penalties worth more than $470,000 (or Rs 4 crore) against an Indian-origin immigration attorney accused of filing fraudulent asylum documents on behalf of dozens of clients, most of them from India, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced. This comes as the Trump Administration is in the midst of an ongoing crackdown on what it describes as asylum fraud.

The attorney in question was identified as Suraj Raj Singh, who runs an immigration law firm in New York City and who, "mostly represents Indian aliens and seeks asylum on their behalf before the Immigration Court," according to the DHS. He has been served with a Notice of Intent to Fine by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), which serves as ICE's investigative arm.

According to the DHS, Singh is alleged to have prepared and filed 118 fraudulent documents, which the DHS described as containing asylum declarations that "are identical or nearly identical in language and substance, containing the same or nearly the same factual narrative and supporting details regarding the claimed persecution."

According to the DHS, ICE is seeking the maximum civil penalty of USD $470,584 under a federal law that authorises penalties for immigration-related document fraud.

Note, a Notice of Intent to Fine is a proposed civil enforcement action that gives the recipient an opportunity to respond before any financial penalty becomes final. The allegations against Singh have not been adjudicated in court, and the notice itself does not constitute a final finding of wrongdoing.

"Fraudulent asylum claims threaten the safety of the American people, undermine our immigration system, and delay the removal of dangerous criminal illegal aliens," said DHS General Counsel James Percival stated while announcing the action. He added, "ICE is seeking a fine of more than $470,000 from attorney Suraj Raj Singh. Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, we will hold attorneys like this accountable and put an end to the practice of defrauding and abusing our immigration system."

SURAJ RAJ SINGH SECOND IMMIGRATION LAWYER TO BE FINED AMID ONGOING ASLYUM CRACKDOWN

The action against Suraj Raj Singh comes amid an ongoing crackdown on instances of asylum fraud being undertaken by the Trump Administration.

Back in March 2025, US President Donald Trump issued a memo to erstwhile attorney general Pam Bondi, where he stated that said immigration attorneys were helping to fuel "rampant fraud and meritless claims" in the immigration system, and directed the Justice Department to seek sanctions against attorneys for professional misconduct.

The DHS had in May directed ICE to start bringing enforcement actions against immigration attorneys for alleged document fraud. Under federal law, people accused of document fraud in an immigration matter can receive a hearing before an administrative law judge, as well as seek judicial review.

According to the DHS, this is only the second time the department has sought civil penalties against an immigration attorney for alleged immigration document fraud under federal law. In June, ICE issued five Notices of Intent to Fine to California-based, India-born immigration attorney Vinod Doddamani, seeking a combined USD $255,232 (about Rs 2.4 crore) in civil penalties over allegations that he filed fraudulent asylum claims on behalf of Indian clients.

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