Russian criminal groups can thus enter the United States, according to a publication in The Washigton Post, which cites the opinions of several security experts regarding a report by the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of State on the problems of the lottery in Ukraine, Ukrinform reports.
Security analysts note that the report is a red flag. At the same time, they observe that the Russian mafia and other organized criminal organizations have easy access to Ukraine and could use the visa fraud system to move criminals or terrorists into the United States, the article says.
In particular, according to Michael O'Hanlon, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, any such violations of the Green Card visa lottery raise 'concerns about security issues.'
At the same time, Edward Alden, an expert from another American think tank, the Council on Foreign Relations, believes that in this case, the criminal actions of fraudsters are concerning, not the risks of terrorism. 'There is nothing in this scheme that suggests increased security risks. Of course, it causes many problems. Many people in Ukraine are being extorted for money,' the analyst said.
Alden recalled that, unlike other immigration programs under which foreigners come to the United States for work or family purposes, under the visa lottery, anyone with at least a secondary education can enter America. This diversity program has often been criticized for being too broad and not serving U.S. interests. Moreover, visa lotteries could be discontinued if Congress approves comprehensive immigration reform, the expert emphasized.
As the agency reported, the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of State released a report stating that the Green Card visa lottery program in Ukraine is being used by groups of fraudsters for their own purposes. According to the scheme described, fraudsters, often without the knowledge or permission of Ukrainians, enter their names and personal information into the online visa application program, which they 'buy, steal, or obtain from open sources.' In particular, according to estimates by the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, the names of 80% of the population of Western Ukraine end up in the lottery year after year.
During registration, the fraudsters receive a confirmation number for the application submitted for participation in the program, which they use to extort money from the applicant if the State Department grants that applicant a visa. Thus, the inspector general's office report says that criminals later contacted hundreds of Ukrainians, demanding the signing of a contract to pay $15,000 for obtaining the confirmation number. If the lottery winner did not have that much money, they were pressured into a fake marriage with individuals wishing to immigrate to the United States and willing to pay for it. In some cases, lottery participants were required to dissolve a real marriage for this purpose.
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