EVIDENCE OF POSSIBLE FRAUDULENT ASYLUM CLAIM -

UNCLAS E F T O SECTION 01 OF 02 YEREVAN 000126 SENSITIVE NOFORN SIPDIS DEPT FOR CA/VO/F/P (MEEARL) AND CA/FPP (RSBILLINGS) USCIS FOR ASYLUM BRANCH (KTURO AND KMACK) MOSCOW FOR USCIS (SSINCLAIR-SMITH) FRANKFURT FOR RCO (KBROUGHAM) AND ICE (GSPINDEL) E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/23/2018 TAGS: CVIS KFRD PHUM PREF AM SUBJECT: EVIDENCE OF POSSIBLE FRAUDULENT ASYLUM CLAIM - HOVHANNISYAN, JEMMA DOB 05 JAN 1957, A98824551 THIS CABLE CONTAINS MATERIAL THAT IS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY. ¶1. (SBU/NF) Summary: Evidence has come to light during a Visa 92 following-to-join interview that suggests Ms. Jemma HOVHANNISYAN, Alien Registration Number 98824551 submitted a fraudulent claim for asylum. As per 9 FAM Appendix O, 1207.2-5(A),Post is reporting these details to CA/VO/F/P, CA/FPP and USCIS. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU/NF) Armenian citizen Ms. Jemma HOVHANNISYAN entered the U.S. in B2 status on 18OCT2004 and claimed asylum on 26JUN2005. The basis for her claim to asylum was persecution, threats and physical abuse she and her family members received as a result of attending political rallies and her attempts to organize a women's movement in Armenia. According to her I-589 statement, her son was arrested, beaten in detention, and forced out of school for his political activities (he fled to the United States in 2001). As a result of the family's political activities, police broke into her family home twice on 25JAN2001 and 09OCT2004 and beat her and her husband (NOTE: In 2001 her son was also beaten). USCIS granted Jemma HOVHANNISYAN asylum on 19SEP2007. ¶3. (SBU/NF) On 04FEB2009, Post interviewed Ms. HOVHANNISYAN's husband Avetik Hovhannisyan for Visas 92 following-to-join status. As part of routine preparation for the interview, the consular officer reviewed the principal applicant's case file including Ms. Hovhannisyan's I-589 application for asylum and her previous non-immigrant visa application. During his interview, the consular officer asked Mr. Hovhannisyan about his life in Armenia and if he had ever experienced any persecutions or beatings while living in Armenia. Mr. Hovhannisyan vowed and signed a sworn statement that he had been beaten twice in the period 1996 - 2000 (NOTE: but not on the dates listed in his wife's I-589 statement),and that other than these two times he had never been beaten. As is customary for these interviews, the applicant was interviewed with an Armenian-English translator present, although the interviewing consular officer also speaks Armenian. The Armenian-English translator and consular officer both noted the great difficulty Mr. Hovhannisyan had trying to remember the dates of his beatings, and the translator noted that Mr. Hovhannisyan was swearing to himself under his breath. Further, Post notes that at the time of the petitioner Ms. Hovhannisyan's 08SEP2004 non-immigrant visa application, the petitioner then stated she had no contact with her self-described "black sheep" son Artak Hovhannisyan, who went to the United States on a tourist visa in 2001 and remained. According to Mr. Hovhannisyan's I-590 form, his wife and "black sheep" son are now living together in Las Vegas, NV. Avetik Hovhannisyan's sworn statement has been scanned into the NIV record for Mr. Hovhannisyan's YY transportation foil and can be accessed through the Consular Consolidated Database (CCD). ¶4. (SBU/NF) Given the conflicting information provided by Avetik Hovhannisyan, Post suspects that Jemma Hovhannisyan's original claim for asylum was fraudulent. Ms. Hovhannisyan stated in her I-589 Asylum Application that her family was violently beaten in 2001 and 2004; her husband, however, stated these beatings occurred sometime between 1996 and 2000, and showed clear frustration when he could not remember the 'correct' dates. Post finds it highly suspect that a person, violently beaten by the police in his own home, would fail to remember the year the beatings of himself and his wife (the petitioner) occurred. Post also submits that Ms. Hovhannisyan appears to have lied on her non-immigrant visa application about her "black sheep" son, as the two are now living together in the United States. As a result of these inconsistencies, Post concludes that Ms. Hovhannisyan's I-589 and 2004 non-immigrant visa application include disinformation. Post believes this disinformation necessarily casts doubts on the rest of the information of record in this case. ¶5. (SBU/NF) To preserve the principal applicant's confidentiality, the questions put to Avetik Hovhannisyan were all factual questions to confirm information for the record. The consular officer's questioning was such that he never stated that Ms. Jemma Hovhannisyan had received asylum or intimated that one reason for her departure from Armenia YEREVAN 00000126 002 OF 002 was that Ms. Hovhannisyan had difficulties in Armenia. Nonetheless, the interview showed that Avetik Hovhannisyan appeared to be aware that his wife received asylum status in the U.S. Avetik Hovhannisyan was interviewed in a private room where no one could overhear the conversation. ¶6. (SBU/NF) Post will issue Mr. Hovhannisyan his YY transportation foil shortly as he qualifies for Visa 92 following-to-join status in all other respects. The applicant's information is as follows - Mr. Avetik Hovhannisyan, DOB 31 JAN 1955, Alien Registration Number 88 867 611. Mr Hovhannisyan,s intended address in the United States is c/o of the petitioner Ms. Jemma Hovhannisyan at 3674 Great Bear St; Las Vegas, NV 89147. ¶7. (U) Post point of contact is IV Unit Chief, Vice Consul Brian T. Smith, smithbt@state.gov. YOVANOVITCH