WASHINGTON — A senior official in President Barack Obama’s administration violated agency ethics policies but did not break any laws when he intervened in three visa cases involving foreign investors with ties to prominent Democrats, a government watchdog told Congress on Thursday.
The Homeland Security Department’s now deputy secretary used his post as head of the department’s immigration benefits-processing agency to expedite the paperwork in a program long riddled with problems and backlogs, the department’s inspector general, John Roth, told members of the House Homeland Security Committee.
Alejandro Mayorkas’ interventions in the three cases helped key Democrats whose states and clients stood to benefit from these permits to live and work in the U.S., which pave the way for job creation and economic investments.
The visa applications Mayorkas is accused of meddling with were part of the U.S. government’s investor-visa program, known as EB-5. It allows foreigners to obtain visas to live permanently in the U.S. with their spouses and children if they invest $500,000 to $1 million in projects or businesses that create jobs for American citizens. Approved investors can become legal permanent residents after two years and later can become citizens.