Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Tuesday that an attorney has allegedly filed over 30 fraudulent asylum claims for clients and that the agency intends to fine him the maximum $255,232 in connection with the allegations.

ICE made the announcement Tuesday, following James Percival, general counsel for the Department of Homeland Security, under which ICE operates, directed the agency last month to crack down on lawyers who have filed false asylum claims in immigration court. 

"For too long, immigration attorneys have not been held to the same ethical standard as other attorneys. Under President Trump, this will no longer be tolerated," Percival said Tuesday. 

ICE until now has never filed such a claim.

Federal officials have identified the immigration attorney as Vinod Doddamani. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations unit says it has issued him five notices of intent to fine. 

As a lawyer specializing in entertainment, immigration, intellectual property and international affairs, Doddamani operates a nationwide practice in which he mainly represents Indian nationals and files asylum applications on their behalf before immigration courts.

He was born in India but is a German citizen and has been based in South Florida since 2009.

ICE alleges that Doddamani filed 32 immigration cases where he filed 64 fraudulent documents. In support of his asylum claims, he has also filed “alien declarations” very similar in language and substance and that contain comparable “factual narrative and supporting details” concerning the alleged persecution.

Percival also argued that by holding Doddamani “accountable,” the DHS is sending a message to other immigration attorneys across the U.S.: “Your days of abusing and defrauding our immigration system are over.”

Katherine Pugh is a reporter for Just the News. Follow her on X for more coverage.