Radar Report VAWA Funded Immigration Fraud
Radar Report VAWA Funded Immigration Fraud
Radar Report VAWA Funded Immigration Fraud
America prides itself on being a refuge for persons who immigrated to this country in
search of a better life. Indeed, the story of immigration is the story of America.
Visa fraud is a widespread problem. A Department of Labor study concluded that 54%
of foreign visa applications contain false and possibly fraudulent information.2 Each
year, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (CIS) disapproves some
20,000 applications for fraud. According to a Government Accountability Office report,
immigration fraud may also involve criminal activity such as money laundering schemes,
income tax evasion, or terrorist activity.3
Many of these cases involve marriage fraud. According to Tom Depenbrock, special
agent at the U.S. Department of State:
“Marriage and visa fraud potentially threaten the national security of the United
States …The U.S. visa is one of the most coveted items in the world…These
foreign nationals who enter the country illegally via marriage fraud or any other
type of fraud are defrauding the United States of immigration benefits to which
they are not entitled.”4
Marriage scams traditionally involved American citizens who were enticed to marry
foreign nationals. In a California case, U.S. citizens were paid to enter into sham
marriages with Chinese citizens and were encouraged to fabricate love letters, pose for
wedding pictures, and even file joint tax returns.5
In recent years, a new form of immigration fraud has emerged that is subsidized by funds
from the Violence Against Women Act. This Special Report discusses how the
immigration process is supposed to work, details the ways in which VAWA encourages
immigration fraud, cites other VAWA-related problems, and calculates the taxpayer
burden caused by immigration fraud.
The Citizenship and Immigration Service (CIS) is the federal agency that processes
applications for visas, work permits, and citizenship. Immigration law allows an
American citizen or permanent legal resident to sponsor a fiancé or spouse to obtain a
Green Card (work authorization), permanent residency, and eventual citizenship. The
“alien” goes through the following steps:
1
VAWA LEGALIZES IMMIGRATION FRAUD
1. The person obtains a fiancé visa (K-1) or spouse visa (K-3) that allows the person
to enter the United States.
2. Once the couple is married and residing in the U.S., the American citizen can
“sponsor” the spouse to obtain temporary residency, based on the stability of the
marriage.
3. After two years, the American citizen petitions the Citizenship and Immigration
Service (CIS1) for permanent residency and eventual citizenship.
Persons who are approved under this process become eligible for a Green Card,
permanent residency, and eventual citizenship. These entitle a person to receive the many
government services and benefits that American citizens take for granted.
To counter immigration fraud, the CIS has established policies and procedures to check
illegal immigration. For example, Fraud Detection Units seek to identify false statements
in immigration application forms. Persons who have engaged in immigration fraud are
referred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The ICE ensures the departure from
the United States of all removable aliens through the enforcement of the nation’s
immigration laws.
Immigration law has long included humanitarian provisions that allow foreign nationals
subjected to persecution or extreme cruelty to seek refuge in the U.S. As the discussion
below explains, this is the loophole that the Violence Against Women Act has steadily
expanded.
The original 1994 VAWA allowed immigrants who could demonstrate “extreme
hardship” to bypass usual sponsorship requirements and “self-petition.” Self-petitioning
means that the immigrant applies on his or her own behalf rather than being required to
be sponsored by his or her spouse.
The 2000 renewal of VAWA expanded this concept and incorporated several new
provisions:
From that point on, the Citizenship and Immigration Service has waged an increasingly
difficult battle to maintain the integrity of the immigration and naturalization process.
1
After the 9/11 attacks, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) was transferred to the
Department of Homeland Security and renamed the Citizenship and Immigration Service.
2
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The Violence Against Women Act facilitates immigration fraud in eight ways:
The Violence Against Women Act authorizes up to $65 million per year for legal
assistance under civil and criminal law. In addition, VAWA guarantees immigrants
access to legal services by authorizing the Legal Services Corporation to represent a
person who claims to be an abuse victim.
VAWA monies can be used to assist persons who claim to be victims of abuse, but not
those accused of domestic violence―an imbalance that undermines the even-handed
administration of justice.
For years, immigration groups and attorneys have sought to expand the definition of
domestic violence to include actions that do not involve actual violence. Five examples
are given below:
A. Legal Momentum (formerly National Organization for Women Legal Defense Fund)
cites the following as examples of extreme cruelty:6
• Emotional abuse
• Possessiveness
• Minimizing, denying, and blaming
B. A Catholic Legal Immigration Network manual states that extreme cruelty and battery
include psychological abuse, accusations of infidelity, and “acts that may not appear
violent but are part of an overall pattern of violence.”7 The publication does not explain
what is meant by an act that “may not appear violent.”
D. The Legal Assistance Foundation of Chicago goes even further, claiming that
indicators of extreme cruelty include:9
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VAWA LEGALIZES IMMIGRATION FRAUD
“If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, you and your children could qualify
for:
• work authorization
• permission to live in the United States while your application is being processed
• obtaining permanent residence without help from your husband
• medical care and government benefits such as money and food stamps”10
These groups seem to agree that possessiveness―however one might define the word―is
proof of “extreme cruelty.”
The instructions for Form I-360, the application form used by persons who file VAWA
self-petitions, further explains that evidence of abuse includes “reports and affidavits
from police, judges and other court officials, medical personnel, school officials, clergy,
social workers,” or even “an order of protection.”12
It is well known that civil definitions of domestic violence are broad,13 and that orders
of protection are routinely issued with no hard evidence of abuse.14 Such orders are
available even to persons who entered the country illegally. As the Arizona Domestic
Violence Benchbook states, “A denial of a protective order would be considered
discrimination based on national origin which is specifically prohibited by law.”15
Sally Kinoshita of the ASISTA project takes the case even further. Arguing for what
she calls the “subjective test,” she implies that not even a restraining order should be
necessary:16
4
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In CIS parlance, a person who enters the country without permission is referred to as
an “undocumented” immigrant. By law, such persons cannot later apply for legal
immigration status, because that would be an obvious incentive for persons to attempt
to enter the country illegally.
In the past, an exception to this rule was allowed if a person could demonstrate a
“substantial connection” showing that extreme cruelty had forced the victim to escape
to the United States.17
But under VAWA, the substantial connection requirement has been eliminated.18 The
CIS recently revised its Adjudicator’s Field Manual to read,
This means that anyone who enters the country illegally and can produce a restraining
order or affidavit, even with no hard evidence of abuse, is likely to be approved for a
work permit and permanent residency.
5. Bans Evidence by the Alleged Abuser Showing that the Petitioner is Illegal
By law, the CIS classifies a person accused of being an abuser as a “prohibited source.”3
This means that the CIS is not allowed to accept any evidence from that person, even if it
shows that the petitioner has engaged in illegal behavior. The alleged abuser is often the
person who is most knowledgeable about the petitioner’s actions.
As a result, the CIS will not deport a VAWA petitioner, even if presented with credible
evidence that the petitioner is illegal. As one CIS employee admitted, “If an abuser
reports that the victim is undocumented, they will not pursue the person.”19
The Violence Against Women Act funds efforts to educate attorneys and other legal
personnel on how to take full advantage of VAWA’s immigration provisions.
In 2006, the DoJ Office on Violence Against Women awarded $363,160 to the Legal
Assistance Foundation of Chicago. The group provides the following advice to attorneys
on how to prepare a client for an interview with the CIS adjudicator:
“Some officers may try to trick your client into admitting information that could
make her inadmissible and ineligible to adjust, e.g., ‘When was the last time you
3
Immigration and Naturalization Act, Section 1367(a)
5
VAWA LEGALIZES IMMIGRATION FRAUD
voted in the U.S.? This is relevant because only U.S. citizens can vote; voting
illegally is a ground of inadmissibility.’”20
Such questions are not “tricks.” They are legitimate tools to determine whether a
potential American citizen is of good moral character.
The following year, the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) awarded a
$1.35 million grant to the ASISTA project, which maintains an immigration
Information Clearinghouse and publishes the ASISTA News. The Fall 2006 issue of
the newsletter features an article that encourages women to file a VAWA self-petition
if they are in a relationship marked by “possessiveness” or even a “need for apologies.”21
Ironically, the very next article in the newsletter discusses the ABA ethical requirements
to “bring only meritorious claims and contentions” and to “disclose misrepresentations or
falsehoods.”22
If an immigrant is discovered without proper documentation, the CIS refers the person to
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to initiate removal proceedings. But under
VAWA, a mere claim of abuse can cancel the deportation proceedings.
At a conference session, a CIS official was asked how many VAWA cases have been
referred to ICE for removal. The categorical answer was: “Currently, cases are not being
specifically referred for removal.” Even if the immigrant had been previously ordered
to leave the country and re-entered illegally, the CIS official explained, “No, VSC is not
passing them on to ICE.”423
Again, the abuse excuse affords the person a virtually free pass.
The Immigration and Naturalization Act allows for a variety of financial and
administration sanctions to be imposed on illegal aliens who are ordered to leave the
country but fail to do so. The Government Accountability Office has criticized the CIS
for its leniency in applying these sanctions.24
According to the Violence Against Women Act, such sanctions cannot be applied
“if the extreme cruelty or battery was at least one central reason for the illegal alien’s
overstaying the grant of voluntary departure.”5 And since extreme cruelty is viewed so
broadly, almost any illegal alien who claims abuse can escape punishment.
4
“VSC” refers to the Vermont Service Center, the CIS facility where all VAWA self-petitions are
processed.
5
VAWA Title VIII, Section 812.
6
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In sum, VAWA condones and promotes immigration fraud through a variety of legal and
administrative strategies, even for persons who entered the country illegally.
Elizabeth Howard of Arizona reveals how her father’s wife had threatened to kill him.
When he called for help, the police arrested both of them. As soon as she got out of jail,
she went to the local domestic violence shelter to have him removed from his home.
Then she held yard sales to rid herself of his personal possessions.
“A friend at work whose family migrated here from Mexico told me it’s common
knowledge that if a woman marries a U.S. citizen and it doesn’t work out, she can claim
abuse and get the resources she needs,” Howard sadly notes.25
The Violence Against Women Act gives rise to other serious problems, including
extortion, sex discrimination, and the inability of those falsely accused to prove their
innocence.
The most fundamental principle of a criminal justice system is that the accused must
be given the opportunity to refute an allegation of wrongdoing. But under VAWA
immigration provisions, a person accused of partner abuse has no legal standing to refute
the claim. Indeed, as a result of VAWA confidentiality provisions,6 the alleged abuser
often is not informed that the allegations were made.
There are many reported examples of persons falsely accused.26 In one case, Dr. Michael
Wnuk, professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, became romantically
involved with a Polish woman, Lidiia Kolisnichenko.27
Wnuk had been diagnosed with cancer. While on a trip to Poland, he met
Kolisnichenko, who promised that she could cure his disease if he would agree
to marry her. A month later they returned to the United States and married.
6
VAWA Title VIII, Section 817.
7
VAWA LEGALIZES IMMIGRATION FRAUD
Michael Wnuk was victimized twice, first by the person who filed the false allegation,
and then by a series of legal maneuvers that made it impossible for him to prove his
innocence.
Extortion
Under Indian law, dowry payments are banned, and the mere allegation of dowry
demands is viewed with the presumption of guilt. So what happens if a legal immigrant
from India later marries an Indian woman and then declines to file an immigration
petition on her behalf? Under Indian law she has a legal recourse―to allege that her
husband and his family are demanding a dowry payment.
In 2002, an engineer living in California traveled to his native India to marry. Following
the ceremony, the couple returned to the United States. But she did not like California
and began to drink heavily. After she bit him during an argument, they decided to
divorce. But that was likely to complicate her Green Card application.
In early 2004, she returned to India, where she was soon served with divorce papers.
In retaliation, she filed a claim against the man’s parents, brothers, sister, and
sister-in-law, who were living in India, alleging that they had demanded a wedding
dowry payment, even though two years had now passed since the wedding.
The police inspector eventually concluded, “On investigation it is found that there is
absolutely no truth regarding the facts mentioned in this complaint,” and the woman was
later found guilty of immigration fraud. Nonetheless, the innocent man was still forced to
pay more than $60,000 plus attorney fees, which depleted his 401K plan and savings.28
In response to numerous complaints, the U.S. State Department issued a travel advisory.29
“Many of the charges stem from the U.S. citizen’s inability to provide an immigrant visa
for his prospective spouse to travel immediately to the United States,” the advisory
warns. John Peters, the State Department’s Citizen Services Specialist for India, cautions,
“The fact that we issued a warning should be an indication of how widespread the
problem is.”30
Women are at least as likely as men to engage in partner violence.31 A recent 32-nation
survey of dating couples found that among severely violent couples, in 55% of cases the
violence was mutual, in 16% of cases the violence was male-only, and 29% of the time
it was female-only.32 In Mexico, partner violence follows a similar picture: 65% mutual,
16% male-only, and 19% female-only. Similar patterns could be expected among
Mexican immigrants as well.
8
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in their terminology―abusers are routinely referred to as “he” and victims are depicted
in the female gender.
Thus, male victims of domestic violence may find their allegations ridiculed and their
needs dismissed.
Persons who obtain legal status in the United States are entitled to free medical care,
food stamps, and a broad range of other services and benefits. As word has gotten out,
the number of VAWA self-petitions has grown:
In 2002, 84%7 of all VAWA applications were approved.35 Thus, an estimated 7,980
VAWA applications were approved in 2006.8
Further, we estimate that, on average, each VAWA applicant has one child. So, 7,980
approved VAWA petitions translates into 15,960 new residents.
Based on the information presented in this report and on a statewide analysis of civil
domestic violence claims,36 we liberally estimate that at most only 10% of VAWA
self-petitions represent battering or extreme cruelty between intimate partners. So, at
least 90% of the 15,590 residents—14,364 persons—were admitted to the United States
under fraudulent circumstances.
According to the Fiscal Impact of Immigration report, the annual federal financial impact
of illegal immigration is $9,139 per person.37 So the financial burden of VAWA
immigration fraud to U.S. taxpayers was estimated at $131.3 million in 2006.9 At current
rates of increase, that amount is expected to exceed $170 million in 2008,10 and will
balloon to $210 million in 2010.11
In addition, victims of VAWA immigration fraud may lose their security clearance and
employment, and develop health disorders, imposing further burdens on public welfare
programs.
7
4,992 divided by 5,922 = 84.3%
8
9,500 applications x 84% approval rate = 7,980 approved applications
9
14,364 persons x $9,139/person = $131.3 million
10
$131.3 million x 30% increase = $170.7 million
11
$131.3 million x 60% increase = $210.1 million
9
VAWA LEGALIZES IMMIGRATION FRAUD
The following account reveals the psychological, physical, and financial toll of a false
allegation:38
Avi Charnis emigrated from Israel to the United States filled with the hope of
living the American dream. He eventually became an American citizen. Later,
he met a woman named Elena Mamedova, who he sponsored to come to the U.S.
on a fiancée visa.
Within a few months after their marriage, she made the claim that Sharnis had
battered her—with no evidence or proof. Charnis was handcuffed and taken to jail.
Devastated by the turn of events, Charnis could not eat or sleep. He lost weight and
his hands began to shake. Soon he lost his job.
Tragedy followed tragedy as he lost his health insurance and was then diagnosed with
cancer. During all of this, he had to defend himself against the baseless charges of
battery and abuse.
As soon as Mamedova received her Green Card, she dropped her abuse complaint.
With his legal ordeal now over, Charnis left the country where he had worked for more
than 20 years. “America turned out to be a wicked stepmother for me,” he lamented.
Voices of American Immigration Fraud Victims, a victim advocacy group, notes that
such stories are not uncommon. Innocent citizens find themselves devastated by the
double betrayal of a false charge of abuse, followed by the ex’s “Green Card Award
Ceremony” that the American learns about from the confines of his jail cell.
The 2000 renewal of the Violence Against Women Act openly stated that its goal was
“to remove immigration laws as a barrier that kept battered immigrant women and
children locked in abusive relationships” [emphasis added].39 Several years later, it
appears that this objective has been largely achieved.
The immigration provisions of VAWA, along with their broad interpretation by the
Citizenship and Immigration Service and lax implementation by VAWA grantees:
10
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VAWA provides incentives for the filing of false claims, removes many of the traditional
barriers designed to control illegal immigration, and weakens the traditional sanctions
that can be applied against an illegal. This creates a Sword of Damocles that hangs over
the head of every American citizen who develops a romantic relationship with an
immigrant.
Thus, a VAWA self-petition has become the cheapest and fastest way for a foreigner to
achieve legal status. The Violence Against Women Act affords generous services,
benefits, and legal rights to illegal immigrants who allege abuse, while overriding the
civil rights of law-abiding American citizens.
References
1
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2008, p. 94. http://www.thesocialcontract.com/pdf/eighteen-
two/tsc_18_2_rubenstein_fiscal_impact_report.pdf
2
Department of Labor Inspector General. Restoring section 245(i) of the Immigration Nationality
Act created a flood of poor quality foreign labor certification applications predominantly for
aliens without legal work status. Report No. 6-04-004-03-321. Washington, DC. September 30,
2004.
3
Government Accountability Office. Immigration benefits: Additional controls and a sanctions
strategy could enhance DHS’s ability to control benefit fraud. Washington, DC. GAO-06-259.
March 2006. http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d06259.pdf
4
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5
Depenbrock T. The danger marriage fraud poses to the national security of the United States.
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11
VAWA LEGALIZES IMMIGRATION FRAUD
6
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01
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8
Kinoshita S. Extreme cruelty: What it is and how to prove it. ASISTA newsletter, Fall 2006,
pp. 2–4. http://www.asistaonline.org/Public%20Benefits/publications/fall2006.newsletter.pdf
9
Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago. Obtaining lawful permanent residency
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IL, 2005.
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10
Immigrant Legal Resource Center. Como solicitar la residencia permanente si su esposo la
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11
INS Memorandum from Office of Programs. Implementation of crime bill self-petitioning for
abused or battered spouses or children of U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents. April 16,
1996.
12
Instructions for Form I-360, Petition for Amerasian, Widowe(er) or Special Immigrant, p. 5.
http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-360instr.pdf
13
RADAR Services, Inc: Expanding definitions of domestic violence, Vanishing rule of law.
Rockville, MD, 2008. http://www.radarsvcs.org/docs/RADARreport-Vanishing-Rule-of-Law.pdf
14
RADAR Services, Inc: Without restraint: The use and abuse of domestic restraining orders.
Rockville, MD, 2008. http://www.radarsvcs.org/docs/RADARreport-VAWA-Restraining-
Orders.pdf
15
Committee on the Impact of Domestic Violence and the Courts and the Domestic Violence
Benchbook Workgroup. Domestic violence benchbook (civil). November 2006, p. 25.
16
Kinoshita S. Extreme cruelty: What it is and how to prove it. ASISTA newsletter, Fall 2006,
pp. 2–4. http://www.asistaonline.org/Public%20Benefits/publications/fall2006.newsletter.pdf
17
Immigration and Naturalization Act, Section 212(a)(6)(A)(ii).
18
Memo from Michael L. Aytes regarding Adjustment of status for VAWA self-petitioner who is
present without inspection. April 11, 2008
http://www.uscis.gov/files/nativedocuments/VAWA_11Apr08.pdf
19
DHS Q & A Sessions. Irvine, CA. November 9 and 11, 2005.
http://www.tomesparza.com/documents/DHS%20QA%20-%202005.DOC?docid=18617
20
Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago. Obtaining lawful permanent residency
through the Violence Against Women Act: A VAWA manual for pro bono advocates. Chicago,
IL, 2005. p. 57.
http://files.illinoislegaladvocate.org/uploads/003805Obtaining%20Lawful%20Permanent%20Res
idency.rtf
21
Kinoshita S. Extreme cruelty: What it is and how to prove it. ASISTA newsletter, Fall 2006,
pp. 2–4. http://www.asistaonline.org/Public%20Benefits/publications/fall2006.newsletter.pdf
22
Rosenberg LD. Doing the right thing in immigration law practice. ASISTA newsletter,
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12
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23
DHS Q&A Sessions. November 9 and 11, 2005, Irvine, CA. Questions 3 and 10.
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24
Government Accountability Office. Immigration benefits: Additional controls and a sanctions
strategy could enhance DHS’s ability to control benefit fraud. Washington, DC. GAO-06-259.
March 2006, p. 37. http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d06259.pdf
25
Communication with Elizabeth Howard, August 28, 2007.
26
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http://www.vdare.com/Mann/illlegal_alien_women.htm
27
Voices of American Immigration Fraud Victims. Premeditated Green Card marriage. Case of
Lidiia Kolisnichenko vs. Michael Wnuk. http://www.immigrationfraudvictims.us/stories.html
28
Tsering L. Indian husbands fall victim to dowry-immigration fraud. New American Media,
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29
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30
Quoted in Tsering L. Indian husbands fall victim to dowry-immigration fraud. New American
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210
31
Whitaker DJ, Haileyesus T, Swahn M, Saltzman L. Differences in frequency of violence and
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32
Straus MA. Dominance and symmetry in partner violence by male and female university
students in 32 nations. Children and Youth Services Review, 2008.
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33
Questions for Q&A panels with DHS. December 2003.
http://www.nationalimmigrationproject.org/forMembers/U%20Visa%20Documents/DHS%20Q%
20&%20A.doc
34
Porter E. Law on overseas brides is keeping couples apart. New York Times, October 17, 2006.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/17/us/17brides.html?ref=business
35
Questions for Q&A panels with DHS. December 2003.
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20&%20A.doc
36
Foster BP. Analyzing the cost and effectiveness of governmental policies. Cost Management,
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37
Rubinstein E. The fiscal impact of immigration. The Social Contract, Vol. 18, No. 2, 2007–
2008, p. 143. http://www.thesocialcontract.com/pdf/eighteen-
two/tsc_18_2_rubenstein_fiscal_impact_report.pdf
38
Personal communication, Natasha Spivack, Voices of American Immigration Fraud Victims,
August 30, 2008.
39
Battered Immigrant Women Protection Act of 2000. P.L. 106-386. Section 1502(a). Findings
and Purposes.
13