DOMINICANS WITH FRAUDULENT DOCUMENTS USE BUENOS AIRES AS

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 001202 DEPT FOR CA/FPP, WHA/AND, DS/ICI/CR DEPT ALSO PASS TO KCC POSTS FOR FRAUD PREVENTION MANAGERS and DHS/ICE SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KFRD CVIS ASEC SMIG PE AR SUBJECT: DOMINICANS WITH FRAUDULENT DOCUMENTS USE BUENOS AIRES AS TRANSIT ROUTE TO THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: At least ten Dominican nationals carrying fraudulent U.S. visas tried to use Argentina's Ezeiza International Airport to enter the United States in October 2009. Two others with fraudulent third-country passports were intercepted as well. END SUMMARY. -------------- CAUGHT AT THE AIRPORT -------------- ¶2. (SBU) On October 11th, United Airlines (UA) officials called FPU to verify a Teslin visa presented at the check-in counter by a Dominican national attempting to travel to Washington D.C. for tourism. The subject stated that she had traveled from the Dominican Republic to Buenos Aires a few days earlier to visit relatives. After a brief description of the visa, which UA officials could easily remove from the passport, FPU advised the UA officials to contact CBP Miami, who confirmed the visa was altered. On October 14, American Airlines (AA) denied boarding to another Dominican national with an altered U.S. visa, whose statements matched those given by the malafide traveler denied boarding October 11th. ¶3. (SBU) On October 15, DHS Alien Smuggling Interdiction Office notified FPU of several other Dominican nationals who had tried to enter the United States with fraudulent visas from Ezeiza. Three had been denied entry at U.S. ports of entry and three others were admitted in error in Dallas/Fort Worth. ¶4. (SBU) Two additional Dominican travelers were denied boarding by AA at Ezeiza on October 19, one with a totally forged Lincoln visa. Their stories matched the previous travelers' stories. Both had paid cash for their roundtrip tickets and travelled without luggage, one bound for New York, the other for Los Angeles. -------------- WORKING TOGETHER TO PREVENT FRAUD -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Using DHS and Post data, FPU compiled a comprehensive list of the ten known Dominicans who had traveled through Ezezia in October. CCD checks showed that two of the fraudulent visa foils were issued in Lima, Peru, and one of those had been reported lost/stolen by the owner. FPU then contacted local immigration officials, who informally provided entry and exit information for the ten Dominicans. Most of the travelers arrived in Argentina October 6 on a Copa Airlines flight and in the following days boarded or attempted to board U.S.-bound flights on American, United, Continental and Delta Airlines. By October 23, all except two had left Argentina. Those who had been denied at Ezeiza flew back to Santo Domingo on Copa Airlines. An RSO Investigator at U.S. Embassy Santo Domingo requested copies of the altered U.S. visas, passport photos and pages, and is investigating the possibility of obtaining arrest warrants. -------------- ATTEMPTS TO ENTER CANADA FOILED -------------- ¶6. (SBU) On October 5, a Dominican national who has CLASS hits attempted to board a flight to Toronto with an altered Spanish passport. On November 2, Air Canada denied another Dominican national carrying an altered Canadian passport that was reported stolen at gun point in Canada in February 2009. ¶7. (SBU) COMMENT: FPU will continue to work with airline and immigration officials to enhance the exchange of information and training at Ezeiza in order to detect and deter fraudulent travel. END COMMENT. MARTINEZ