Immigration Official Charged with Sex for Visa Plan
By: Gerri L. Elder
Illegal immigrants often find themselves very vulnerable to criminals. Whether they are taken advantage of financially, scammed or even robbed, these crimes are mostly never reported to police for fear of deportation. In society, illegal immigrants have largely learned to deal with what comes their way without police assistance. Sadly, many have come to expect that they will be treated badly and taken advantage of after coming to the United States to seek a better life.
When immigrants begin the process to obtain legal status in the United States, few expect to be swindled by immigration authorities. However, a recent CNN news report shows that the alleged abuse of authority by an immigration official in New York went far beyond financial impropriety.
Isaac Biachu, a U.S. immigration screening officer, has been arrested and faces felony and misdemeanor charges for coercing a young woman into performing oral sex in exchange for a promise of no hassles with her immigration paperwork. He could face up to 7 years behind bars if convicted of the charges.
Biachu initially met with the 22-year-old woman and her husband to discuss her green card application. She had entered the country from Colombia on a temporary visa and did not leave when it expired. However, she has now gotten married and submitted the paperwork to legally stay in the United States with her husband. Biachu attached a photo from the couple's wedding to the front of the application and indicated that there would be no problems. Then he asked the young woman for her cell phone number.
A couple of days later, the woman says that Biachu began calling her to arrange a private meeting with her. He asked her to meet him away from his office to discuss her immigration application. The woman reluctantly agreed and met with Biachu in December.
During the meeting, Biachu allegedly explained that she would need to have sex with him at least two times in order to assure that her green card application would not be denied. He then demanded oral sex from her in his car. The woman claimed that when she said no, he then grabbed her and forced her to comply. The entire time that the woman was with Biachu, she had her cell phone on in her purse to record everything that took place.
Biachu has pleaded not guilty to the charges and denies any wrongdoing. His lawyer alleges that the woman is simply trying to obtain a "U-visa" which provides legal status to immigrants who are the victims of crimes or are cooperating with a criminal investigation.
Immigrant advocates say that the situation that the woman describes finding herself in with Biachu is not unusual. Since immigrants are at the mercy of immigration officials, they are often victimized.
Former U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services director Michael J. Maxwell testified in 2006 before the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security and Claims that as of July 2006, the backlog of misconduct complaints against immigration agency employees was more than 3,000 with more than 500 of those alleging criminal violations.
Immigration agents in Atlanta, Georgia, Miami, Florida and Santa Ana, California have previously been charged with sexual coercion under similar circumstances as the Biachu case. The International Herald Tribune reports that the sentences in these cases were generally light, including 1 year in prison, 6 months of weekends in jail, and probation.