3 Plead Innocent to Asylum Scheme for Immigrants

Three defendants pleaded not guilty Monday to federal fraud charges alleging that they illegally submitted applications for political asylum and work permits in this country for ineligible immigrants, who paid thousands of dollars to them.

Although U.S. law allows qualified citizens from some countries to apply for political asylum, federal authorities allege that the three defendants fraudulently submitted applications for Mexican citizens who were ineligible for U.S. asylum.

Assistant U.S. Atty. Marc Harris said the defendants told the applicants to say that they were from El Salvador or Guatemala.

The defendants--Carlos Arturo Siguenza Banos, 24, of South Gate, Carlos Mata Galvez, 27, and Ana Aguilar Mata, 25, both of West Covina--entered not guilty pleas before U.S. District Judge Terry Hatter in Los Angeles.

A 17-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury last week accused them of operating a business, International Immigration Service in Los Angeles, that recruited illegal immigrants from Mexico who wanted to work in the United States. Harris would not say how the recruitment was conducted.

Seventeen fraudulent applications were cited in the indictment, but authorities believe they were responsible for many more.

Applications for political asylum and an accompanying permit to work legally in this country were submitted to the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service after the applicants paid a fee to the defendants. An additional fee would be charged if the permit had to be renewed after a year’s time, authorities said.

Under U.S. refugee law, an eligible applicant for political asylum can also obtain a permit to legally work in this country while the asylum case is considered.

A 1991 court case extended the opportunity to apply for political asylum to Salvadorans and Guatemalans after it was alleged that the Reagan administration systemically discriminated against asylum applicants fleeing from pro-U.S. regimes in those two countries.

Illicit schemes have sprung up in recent years to take advantage of the opportunities extended to Central Americans because of the tens of thousands of Mexicans who want to come to the United States.

Harris said fees ranging from $100 to $400 were collected in a scheme the three defendants operated from 1995 until earlier this year.

Although it is unknown exactly how much money was collected, Harris said Galvez bragged to an undercover immigration agent that “he was making $10,000 a day” from the scheme.

Trial was set for Sept. 2.