Employees of the State Security Service and regional departments of the Department for Combating Economic Crimes under the General Prosecutor's Office of Uzbekistan have apprehended individuals who promised fellow citizens entry into the United States. The arrests were made in the Zafarabad district of the Jizzakh region and in Navoi.
In Zafarabad, A.K. promised to help B.B. travel to the US through acquaintances for $20,000, leading to A.K.'s arrest upon receiving the sum. Similarly, in Navoi, S.T. offered to send M.S. to work in the US via Mexico for $14,000 before being detained.
Criminal cases have been initiated under the relevant articles of the Criminal Code of Uzbekistan, with investigations ongoing. This development follows the US Embassy in Tashkent's announcement in late November last year that Uzbek citizens illegally entering the US through Mexico will no longer be admitted. Instead, they will be detained until their immigration cases are resolved.
Prior to this, it was reported that from October 2021 to October 2023, over 13,000 Uzbek citizens were detained in the US for attempting to cross the border illegally.
