The US Department of Labor is launching a visa fraud strike team and pursuing 16 fugitives linked to hundreds of millions of dollars in alleged theft, Inspector General Anthony D’Esposito announced, as the Trump administration steps up scrutiny of foreign-worker programs and employer-sponsored immigration.
Visa fraud strike team to pursue fugitives
In remarks shared on October 8, D’Esposito said the new team would bring together investigators from across government to trace financial transactions, uncover alleged fraud schemes and work with the Justice Department to prosecute those responsible. In a post on X, D’Esposito said the Labor Inspector General’s most-wanted list would feature 16 fugitives linked to $250 million in stolen funds. His remarks, however, described the amount associated with the 16 individuals as nearly $500 million. The investigations had also identified more than $1 billion for taxpayers, he said.
These figures relate to the broader task force’s work and should not be attributed exclusively to the newly announced visa fraud strike team. The initiative is being pursued alongside Vice President JD Vance’s White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud. The discrepancy was not explained in the announcement. The announcement did not provide a detailed breakdown of that figure or specify how much had been recovered.
“We will follow the money, uncover the schemes, and work with attorney general Todd Blanche to prosecute criminals,” D’Esposito said. D’Esposito said the new initiative would combine investigative expertise from different government agencies to pursue suspected fraudsters and identify the financial proceeds of alleged criminal schemes.
