119 Illegal Aliens Prosecuted For Stealing Identities of Americans, Falsifying Immigration Documents, Fraudulently Claiming to be U.S. Citizens, Other Crimes

Jackson, Miss. – U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst announced today that 119 illegal aliens have been prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office since the execution of multiple federal criminal and administrative search warrants at seven sites across the State of Mississippi on August 7, 2019. The federal indictments charge the defendants with crimes ranging from misusing social security numbers of American citizens, to fraudulently claiming to be a U.S. Citizen, to falsifying immigration documents, to reentering the United States after having previously been deported or removed.

To date, 47 of the 119 indicted illegal aliens have pled guilty, with a number of others indicating their intent to plead guilty. Of those who have already pled guilty, 26 admitted to fraudulently using the Social Security Number of an American citizen, in violation of 42 U.S.C. § 408(a)(7)(B). The other 21 of these illegal aliens have pled guilty to unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously deported or removed, in violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1326(a). The remaining have been charged with these same crimes, as well as some charged with falsely claiming to be a United States Citizen, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 911, and making false statements in immigration documents, in violated of 18 U.S.C. § 1546.

"Americans have been directly harmed by the theft of their identities, resulting in citizens not being able to get loans or credit cards, obtain health insurance, and perform other basic activities. Every single one of the 680 aliens arrested in August broke our nation’s laws by coming to our country illegally. Turning a blind eye to their illegal acts would not be fair to our nation, their victims, or the millions of naturalized American citizens who waited years and meticulously followed the process by which to become an American. It is our job in the U.S. Attorney’s Office to enforce our federal laws equitably and fairly, and we have done so and will continue to vigorously do so, protecting all Americans and ensuring the national security and sovereignty of our country is upheld," said U.S. Attorney Hurst.