Immigrants rarely immigrate alone. When one family member comes to the United States, they naturally want to bring their families as well. However, the United States immigration laws are complicated and fraught with pitfalls where you can negatively impact your own chances of immigrating.
In addition, if you have already completed the process locally in Charlotte, North Carolina, there are rules that could still land you in jail. One such issue that can impact both those in and out of the immigration process is lying about your immigration status either verbally, through fake documents or passport sharing.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection has warned about the implications of such actions. Recently, they reported that there has been an increase in these issues as well. Specifically, through August of 2022, at just the Laredo Field Office ports of entry, which includes Del Rio to Brownsville, they processed over 1,600 adverse removal actions. This was an increase of 156% over this time period last year. The vast majority of this increase has been from status lies, including using a passport that does not belong to you, lying about one’s status and providing false documentation.
The consequences
For those lying about their status, the consequences could be both jail time and fines. However, if you are seeking legal status in the United States, it could derail your dreams entirely, in addition to any other penalties.
If you were the owner of the Charlotte, North Carolina, legal documentation that was used, like a passport, visa, etc., you too could receive penalties as well. If you gave your passport to someone else to use, you too could be held criminally liable. If you have legal status in the United States, you may lose it as a result of this criminal conviction.