When the system fails its own citizens, we escalate.
VISA gives voice, support, and recourse to American citizens victimized by marriage fraud, VAWA misuse, and false abuse allegations — and carries their cases up the chain of government, from USCIS field offices to the White House.
Five ways the immigration system is weaponized against citizens.
Each of these schemes exploits a protection or benefit created in good faith — and leaves an American citizen carrying the financial, legal, and emotional cost.
Marriage Fraud
Sham marriages entered solely to obtain immigration benefits, devastating U.S. citizen spouses financially and emotionally.
VAWA Misuse
False abuse allegations filed under VAWA as an immigration strategy — weaponizing victim protections against innocent citizens.
False Abuse Allegations
Fabricated claims designed to secure immigration benefits while destroying the reputation and liberty of the accused citizen.
Financial Exploitation
Systematic draining of a citizen's assets using a relationship as cover — often enforced later through the I-864 Affidavit of Support.
Benefits & Document Fraud
Misrepresentation in immigration filings that implicates unsuspecting U.S. citizen sponsors with lasting legal liability.
Reported your fraudster and heard nothing back? Climb the chain.
A tip to USCIS is the floor, not the ceiling. Federal oversight exists at every level above it. This is the route VISA helps victims walk — documented, in writing, all the way to the top if that is what it takes.
USCIS Fraud Reporting
File the official tip with full documentation: timeline, evidence, A-numbers, and receipt numbers. Keep copies of everything — this record is the foundation for every level above.
ICE Homeland Security Investigations
Marriage and benefits fraud are federal crimes. HSI accepts tips directly and is the investigative arm with the power to act when USCIS won't.
DHS Office of Inspector General
If your reports are being ignored, that itself is reportable. The OIG independently reviews mismanagement and failures to act within DHS components — including USCIS.
CIS Ombudsman (Form DHS-7001)
The Ombudsman is an independent DHS office that helps when a case is stuck at USCIS. A DHS-7001 request creates a formal, trackable demand for answers on your file.
Your Representative & Senators
Every congressional office runs constituent casework and can send a formal inquiry to DHS on your behalf — agencies are required to respond. Sign the privacy release form and put your case formally on the record.
The White House
When every level below has failed, victims have the right to petition the highest office. VISA's stated goal is to put this crisis on the President's desk — through coordinated letters, comment-line campaigns, and collective petitions backed by documented cases.
The numbers behind the silence.
As tens of thousands apply for immigration relief through a program built for domestic-violence victims, federal approvals and denials have stayed flat — while pending petitions pile up. Stagnant adjudication means fraud goes unexamined and victims' reports go unanswered.
Pending VAWA self-petitions, FY2015 – FY2025
FY2025 pending: 194,452 — roughly 50× the 2014 backlog, with wait times near four years and completions stagnant at ~11,700/yr. Earlier bars indicative of trend (labels show share of the FY2025 record). Source: CIS.
One form. Every desk that matters.
Choose your state and enter your details once — VISA generates a personalized advocacy letter and matching envelope to every level of government: your full House delegation, your two senators, both Homeland Security committees, DHS & USCIS leadership, and the President. Congressional recipients are looked up live, fresh on every generation, so the lists stay current as offices change.
U.S. House of Representatives
Every representative for your state — looked up live the moment you generate. verify at house.gov ↗
Awaiting your details — choose a state above.
U.S. Senate
Both of your state's senators, with current Capitol office addresses. verify list ↗
Awaiting your details — choose a state above.
House Committee on Homeland Security
The full committee that oversees DHS — every member, split by party, fetched fresh. verify at homeland.house.gov ↗
Awaiting your details — choose a state above.
Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs
Senate oversight of DHS and USCIS — split by party, the committee that can demand answers. verify at hsgac.senate.gov ↗
Awaiting your details — choose a state above.
DHS & USCIS Leadership
The officials who drive policy: Secretary Mullin, Deputy Secretary Edgar, USCIS Director Edlow, FDNS chief Bartell, ICE Director Lyons, HSI Executive Associate Director Condon, and Inspector General Cuffari.
Ready — official addresses on file.
Roster verified by live web lookup, June 2026 (Secretary Mullin succeeded Kristi Noem in March 2026) — reconfirm at dhs.gov/leadership and uscis.gov/about-us/organization/leadership before mailing.
The President of the United States
The final letter. When every level below has failed, victims petition the highest office.
Ready — The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW.
Sample letter shown for demonstration — VISA's finalized advocacy letters will replace this template. Executive-branch recipients verified June 2026; confirm current officeholders at dhs.gov/leadership before mailing.
Your sender details
Used only inside your browser to fill the From block of each letter and envelope. Not stored. Not transmitted. Not saved anywhere.
Heard. And actioned.
VISA doesn't wait for Washington to come to us. We take documented victim cases to the buildings where decisions are made — and we keep showing up until action follows.
Face to face with Congress
VISA members have met with Senate and House offices multiple times, placing documented victim cases directly in front of the lawmakers who oversee DHS and USCIS.
Write to your representatives →Protest at USCIS headquarters
We carried victims' voices to the agency's front door — a public demonstration outside USCIS headquarters demanding action on ignored fraud reports.
See the escalation path →Allied with national institutions
VISA engages with organizations including the Center for Immigration Studies and The Heritage Foundation to push immigration-fraud reform into the national policy debate.
Visit CIS.org ↗Don't take our word for it. It's official.
The fraud we describe is documented by the government's own agencies, auditors, and researchers — a paper trail running from 1986 to this year.
"Rampant fraud" found in VAWA
USCIS's own policy alert reports VAWA self-petitions surged ~360% from FY2020–2024 — with parent self-petitions up 2,239% — calling the trends "alarming and unprecedented."
Read the USCIS alert ↗194,452 petitions pending — a record
The VAWA backlog hit an all-time high at the end of FY2025 — roughly fifty times the 2014 level — while median processing stretches past 46 months. Fraudulent claims hide unexamined inside it.
See the backlog analysis ↗Auditors flag unmanaged fraud risk
GAO testimony (GAO-26-108903) finds USCIS still hasn't implemented key fraud-risk recommendations — and FDNS data shows 41–49% of benefit-fraud investigations involve marriage fraud.
Read the GAO testimony ↗A 40-year-old warning
INS estimated nearly 30% of alien spouses entering in 1984 were in suspect marriages — findings that drove the Immigration Marriage Fraud Amendments of 1986. The problem predates all of us.
Read the 1986 report ↗Center for Immigration Studies
Research, video briefings with executive director Mark Krikorian, and legal analysis by former immigration judge Andrew Arthur on marriage-fraud enforcement, FDNS data, and BIA precedent.
Read CIS analysis ↗"All-out war on immigration fraud"
USCIS Director Joseph Edlow publicly committed the agency to pursue everyone undermining the immigration system — words VISA intends to hold the agency to, case by case.
Read the analysis ↗Advocacy is louder when it's aligned.
VISA is a nonprofit advocacy organization — not a law firm. We work alongside attorneys who fight the same fight in courtrooms, before the BIA, and in front of Congress.
Fraud exposed on the national stage
Allied attorneys testified before the House Judiciary Committee, presenting the documented history of marriage-fraud law and systemic enforcement failures — proof this crisis has reached congressional oversight.
Read the full testimony (Congress.gov) ↗A landmark precedent for victims
Matter of JIN, 29 I&N Dec. 441 (BIA 2026) forced DHS to investigate post-approval marriage fraud — establishing that an approved petition is not a shield against accountability.
Read the decision in full ↗Citizens must have standing in immigration decisions
Under current law, a U.S. citizen who sponsored a spouse has no recognized legal standing when that spouse files a VAWA petition or seeks benefits based on fabricated claims. VISA campaigns for formal recognition of Direct Harm to Citizens — requiring USCIS to weigh documented harm to citizen petitioners before adjudicating fraud-based benefit claims.
Write to policy makers →Built by people who lived it.
VISA was founded under the banner of Citizens Against Immigration Fraud — built by individuals who witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of immigration fraud on victims' lives. With backgrounds in legal advocacy, emotional support, and financial recovery, our team is committed to assistance and justice for those defrauded.
Our three pillars: policy reform with USCIS, Congress, and regulators; victim support through legal referrals and peer networks; and awareness through media and education. No one walks alone through this process.
After the Border
42 eye-opening stories from a retired U.S. immigration officer — uncovering the hidden world of marriage fraud.
Get on Amazon ↗Richard D. Lee
- Retired FDNS Officer, USCIS
- Former U.S. Coast Guard servicemember
- 20+ years investigating marriage, asylum & benefits fraud
- Expert witness, legal consultant & fraud educator
- Founder of @marriagefraudvictims on YouTube
Questions victims actually ask.
- Prioritize your safety
- Gather evidence: texts, emails, financial records
- Consult an immigration lawyer immediately
- Do not sign Form I-751 or further immigration paperwork
- Withdraw a pending I-130 and report to ICE: 1-866-347-2423
Real cases. Real evidence.
These screenshots document real cases of immigration fraud and abuse. Click any image to view it full size.
Stories from inside the system.
Real cases and legal insight from Richard D. Lee — a retired USCIS fraud investigator — and the VISA community on YouTube.
Every dollar moves a case up the ladder.
Your contribution funds legal resources, federal policy advocacy, and direct support for citizens victimized by immigration fraud.
Funds awareness materials and resources for victims.
Covers part of a legal consultation for a victim who cannot afford one.
Directly funds federal policy advocacy and congressional outreach.
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Your voice, heard. Confidentially.
Meet confidentially with a VISA advocate to discuss your situation, map your escalation path, and connect with resources. Available Monday–Friday, 9 AM–5 PM ET via secure video call or phone.
- Initial Victim Consultation (30 min)
- Legal Resources & Referral Session (45 min)
- USCIS Case Review & Escalation Planning (60 min)
- VAWA / False Allegation Case Inquiry
- Policy & Advocacy Partnership
- Media & Press Inquiry