Jamaican Citizen Arrested for Voting Fraud in 2024 Primary

Visa Fraud
Maryland Man Gets Prison Sentence for Visa Fraud

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services provided valuable assistance to the investigation that led to the sentencing of a Maryland man for visa fraud. U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland Kelly O. Hayes announced that Douglas Anthony Eze, 55, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, received one year and one day in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for visa fraud. A federal judge also imposed a $20,000 fine on Eze.

According to his guilty plea, Eze, who owns Largo Financial Services, illegally entered Canada in 1991 using a fraudulent passport. When Canada issued a deportation order in 1995, Eze fled the country. He resurfaced in the U.S. in 1997, assuming the name and identifying information of a Canadian citizen with whom he was familiar. Eze used the victim’s Canadian birth certificate to apply for a Permanent Resident Card and eventually obtained U.S. citizenship under the stolen identity before changing his last name to Eze.

Operating under this fraudulent identity, Eze adopted and sponsored two children for lawful permanent residence in the United States, falsely declaring the stolen Canadian identity as his own in their immigration documents. He also used the victim’s identity to obtain a U.S. passport, driver’s license, and membership in the Global Entry Trusted Traveler Program, all without the victim’s permission.

2024 Presidential Election
Jamaican Citizen Arrested for Falsely Claiming U.S. Citizenship to Register for 2024 Presidential Primary

Federal authorities arrested Jacqueline Dianne Wallace, a 52-year-old Jamaican citizen, on charges of making false citizenship claims to register and vote in Florida’s 2024 presidential primary election. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida announced the charges after Wallace appeared in federal court in Tallahassee. Homeland Security Investigations agents and Bay County Sheriff’s Office investigators made the arrest. Wallace entered the United States in December 2010 on a six-month tourism visa but overstayed and never returned to Jamaica as required. In January 2024, she registered to vote using an online system that required certification of U.S. citizenship, and then cast a ballot in the August 2024 federal primary election.

Multiple agencies investigated the case, including HSI Tampa, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Election Crime Unit, the Florida Department of State’s Office of Election Crimes and Security, Bay County officials, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Welch will prosecute the case as part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide Justice Department initiative targeting illegal immigration and transnational crime. Wallace faces up to five years in prison and deportation if convicted. The criminal complaint represents allegations that must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt at trial, and Wallace remains presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Federal Judge
Judge Orders Trump to Restore Immigration Applications for Hundreds of Thousands

A federal judge in Massachusetts delivered a significant blow to the Trump administration’s immigration restrictions on Wednesday, ordering officials to lift pauses on various immigration applications that threatened the legal status of hundreds of thousands of immigrants. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani ruled that the administration’s actions were “arbitrary and capricious,” emphasizing that it would not serve the public interest to force hundreds of thousands of people to become unlawfully present in the country, unable to work legally or support their families. The decision provides relief to immigrants from Afghanistan, Ukraine, Latin America, and other regions whose ability to remain and work in the U.S. had been jeopardized by recent Trump administration policies.

The ruling affects approximately 770,000 immigrants who entered the U.S. under Biden-era parole programs - including 240,000 Ukrainians admitted through the “Uniting for Ukraine” sponsorship program and 530,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans who benefited from another parole policy. Talwani ordered the government to end pauses that prevented these individuals from obtaining other forms of legal status, like asylum or permanent residency, and also blocked restrictions on parole extensions for Afghans and Ukrainians. This marks the second time Talwani has ruled against Trump’s efforts to scale back parole programs, with the Justice Department now asking the Supreme Court to intervene, arguing that federal courts are improperly interfering with the president’s immigration authority.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia
Trump Administration Seeks Dismissal of Wrongful Deportation Lawsuit

The Trump administration asked a federal judge to dismiss the lawsuit over Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s mistaken deportation to El Salvador, arguing the court lacks jurisdiction because he no longer resides in the United States. U.S. attorneys filed this procedural motion late Tuesday, reiterating their March arguments against his return after facing a 60-day deadline to respond to the lawsuit. The case has continued for two months without resolution, despite a judge’s order to bring back Abrego Garcia and a subsequent Supreme Court ruling to facilitate his return. President Trump told ABC News in late April that he could retrieve Abrego Garcia with a phone call to El Salvador’s president, but refused because he claims Abrego Garcia belongs to the MS-13 gang—an allegation Abrego Garcia denies and for which authorities never charged him.

Trump administration attorneys have invoked the state secrets privilege rather than using the president’s direct explanation in Maryland federal court, claiming that revealing information about the return of Abrego Garcia would jeopardize national security by exposing sensitive diplomatic negotiations. Abrego Garcia’s attorneys argue the administration has done nothing to return the Maryland construction worker and uses the privilege to hide their misconduct in mistakenly deporting him despite a 2019 immigration judge’s order that protected him from expulsion due to likely persecution by a local Salvadoran gang. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis, who ordered his return on April 4 following a lawsuit by Abrego Garcia’s American wife, has yet to rule on either the government’s state secrets claim or Tuesday’s dismissal motion. She denied the government’s request for a 30-day extension filed hours before the dismissal motion, noting that despite conducting five hearings, defendants never indicated they needed more time to respond.

Chinese Students
U.S. to Revoke Chinese Student Visas, Add New Restrictions

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the United States will aggressively revoke visas of Chinese students, following President Donald Trump's demand for the names and countries of international students from Harvard University.

Rubio stated that the State Department will work with the Department of Homeland Security to target Chinese students with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or those studying in critical fields, while revising visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future applications from China and Hong Kong.

The Trump administration has paused scheduling new visa interviews for international students worldwide as the State Department prepares to expand social media vetting of international students, according to an internal cable Reuters obtained on May 27.

The administration has also announced plans to revoke visas for all international students at Harvard University, though a judge immediately blocked that measure. Administration officials have moved to deport student visa and green card holders who engaged in pro-Palestinian protests and criticized Israel's conduct in the Gaza war, calling their actions a threat to U.S. foreign policy and accusing them of supporting Hamas. The State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding why they are targeting Chinese students specifically, which study areas they consider crucial, or how many visa revocations they expect to implement.

Felony Manslaughter
Jet Ski Driver Charged in Fatal Hit-and-Run on Texas Lake

Authorities have charged 21-year-old Daikerlyn Alejandra Gonzalez Gonzalez with felony manslaughter in the death of Ava Moore, an 18-year-old U.S. Air Force Academy cadet candidate who was killed in a jet ski hit-and-run while kayaking on Grapevine Lake in North Texas.

According to Texas Game Warden Capt. Joseph Quintero, the jet ski, struck Moore at high speed on Sunday evening before Gonzalez fled the scene in a vehicle with 21-year-old Maikel Coello Perozo.

As they left, their car collided with two other vehicles. Authorities arrested both suspects on Tuesday at a Dallas home, thanks to tips from the public and what Quintero called “good, hard detective work." Investigators received more than 900 tips during the search. In addition to the manslaughter charge, officials charged Perozo with a collision involving damage to a vehicle and hindering apprehension, both misdemeanors. Grapevine Police are investigating the automotive hit-and-run, and Quintero said more charges could follow.

Quintero emphasized the seriousness of the incident, calling Moore’s death "tragic" and “unnecessary." He urged the public to honor her memory by prioritizing safety on public waters. Authorities are investigating whether the jet ski operator had the proper permits and whether alcohol played a role in the incident. They are also reviewing video footage from the scene. A female passenger on the jet ski, who stayed on shore after the collision, has not been charged. Both Gonzalez and Perozo are undocumented Venezuelan nationals, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Homeland Security records show Gonzalez entered the U.S. illegally in September 2023 and Perozo in January 2023. ICE has placed immigration detainers on both individuals and plans to take custody after the state concludes its case.

Assasination
Migrant Arrested in Alleged Plot to Kill President Trump

Federal authorities arrested 54-year-old Mexican national Ramon Morales-Reyes on May 22 after he allegedly threatened to assassinate former President Donald Trump. According to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who announced the arrest on Wednesday, Morales-Reyes sent a handwritten letter to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field intelligence officer stating his intent to shoot Trump in the head at one of his rallies before self-deporting to Mexico. In the letter, Morales-Reyes expressed anger over U.S. immigration policies, writing“ “We are tired of this president messing with us Mexicans — we have done more for this country than you white peopl”,” an“ “You have been deporting my family and I think it is time Donald J. Trump get what he has coming to hi”.”

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported that Morales-Reyes has entered the U.S. illegally at least nine times between 1998 and 2005. His criminal history includes arrests for felony hit-and-run, criminal damage to property, and disorderly conduct with a domestic abuse modifier. ICE is currently holding him at Dodge County Jail in Juneau, Wisconsin, pending deportation proceedings. In her statement, Secretary Noem also urged the public to “tone down their rhetoric" amid rising tensions.

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Till the next one, God bless America.

Yours sincerely,

Tosin Agboola