SCANDINAVIAN AIRLINES FLIGHT #SK 911

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MATTER OF SCANDINAVIAN AIRLINES FLIGHT
#SK 911
In Fine Proceedings
NYC 10/52.6793
Decided by Board February 26, 1991

(1) Any bringing to the United States of an alien who does not meet the visa
requirements of the Immigration and Nationality Act when he is presented for
inspection incurs fine liability under section 273 of the Act, 8 U.S.C. § 1323 (1988),
even in cases where it is established that the alien had a visa in his possession when he
boarded the carrier's airplane abroad for the flight to the United States.

1
(2) While the fact that an alien had a visa in his possession when he boarded the carrier's
airplane abroad may entitle the carrier to remission (forgiveness in full) under section
273(o) of the Act, the carrier has the burden of establishing that fact, and that burden
of proof has not been met in this case.

BASIS FOR FINE: Act of 1952-Sec. 273 [8 U.S.C. § 1323]-Bringing to the United
.
States immigrants not in possession of unexpired
visas

:

ON BEHALF OF CARRIER:

ON BEHALF OF SERVICE:

Peter J. Wade, Esquire

Steven R. Abrams District Counsel

Hale Russell &amp; Gray

101 Park Avenue

New York, New York 10178

BY: Dunne, Acting Chairman; Vacca, Board Member: Bryant, Temporary Board
Member
.

In a decision dated March 5, 1984, the district director imposed
administrative fines totalling $8,000 on Scandinavian Airlines (the
"carrier") for eight violations of section 273(a) of the Immigration and
Nationality Act. 8 U.S.C. § 1323(a) (1982), and denied a request from
the carrier for remission of the fines. The carrier has appealed. The
appeal will be dismissed.

The carrier brought the above-named alien passengers to the United
States from Denmark on August 8, 1983. On September 30, 1983, the
district director issued a Notice of Intention to Fine under Immigra-
tion and Nationality Act (Form I-79) in which he alleges that the
carrier violated section 273 of the Act by bringing the eight alien
passengers to the United States without visas, and, therefore, that the
carrier is liable for administrative fines totalling $8,000.

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In a response dated October 28, 1983, the carrier protested the
imposition of fines. According to the carrier, the eight aliens initially
boarded a flight in Calcutta, India, on August 7, 1983. Their tickets
showed New York as their final destination with a connecting flight
originating in Copenhagen. When they boarded in India, they present-
ed passports from the Republic of Sudan with United States visas in
the passports. Upon arrival at Copenhagen later that day, the aliens
were issued transit visas from the Government of Denmark in the
names listed in the Sudanese passports, and they were permitted entry
into Denmark to proceed on the carrier's flight to New York. When
they arrived at the New York airport on August 8, 1983, however, they
presented passports issued by the Government of Afghanistan which
showed names different than the ones on the tickets, the transit visas,
and so forth. The Afghan passports did not have United States visas.
The carrier concludes that it exercised reasonable diligence in ascer-
taining at the original point of embarkation that the aliens had
Sudanese passports with unexpired United States visas, and, therefore,
fines should not be imposed.

With a cover letter dated November 1, 1983, the carrier submitted
photocopies of the tickets the alien passengers had purchased and
copies of their transit visas for passage through Denmark. The carrier
notes in the letter that the aliens apparently disposed of the Sudanese
passports and used their Afghan passports when they arrived at the
New York airport. The carrier asserts that none of its agents,
representatives, or employees was a party to this fraud. The carrier
concludes the letter with a request that remission be considered in
view of those circumstances.

The record also contains copies of affidavits executed by the alien
passengers on August 8, 1983, during interviews with Immigration and
Naturalization Service officials. The aliens state that they purchased
boarding tickets from someone and used them to board the carrier's
flight to the United States. They state further that no one checked their
passports.

In a decision dated March 5, 1984, the district director found that
the passengers were aliens who did not have visas in their possession
when they were brought to the United States. He rejected the carrier's
claim that the aliens had presented Sudanese passports that contained
United States visas when they boarded initially. Although the carrier
submitted photocopies of airline tickets and Danish transit visas
showing Sudanese nationality for a group of passengers, the carrier has
failed to prove that these passengers were the aliens in question. The
district director concluded that cancellation of the fines was not
justified and imposed fines totalling $8,000 on the carrier.

On appeal, the carrier contends that the documents of the alien

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passengers were checked before they were boarded initially, and the
aliens had passports with unexpired visas at that time. Consequently,
due diligence was exercised and the fines should be remitted in full. As
further support for this position, the carrier has submitted an affidavit
executed by an employee of a travel agency on March 21, 1984, which
lists the names of eight alien passengers who presented proper
documents for a flight to the United States. The names are "J.F.
Callan." "T.M. Callan," "J.C. Kramer," "R.H. Barrack," "J.E.
Barrack," "R.K. Hutton," "H. Augustine," and "C. Newtan."

The Service contends that the carrier is liable for $8,000 in fines and
that the carrier has failed to meet its burden of proof for remission. We
agree.

Fines under section 273 of the Act are imposed without regard to
the intentions of the carrier. Under the provisions of section 273 of the
Act, the carrier who brings aliens to the United States becomes, in
effect, an insurer that the aliens have met the visa requirements of the
Act. Any bringing to the United States of an alien who does not meet
those requirements incurs fine liability. Matter of M/V "Emma," 18
I&N Dec. 40 (BIA 1981). Inasmuch as the eight alien passengers did
not have visas in their possession when the carrier brought them to the
United States, the carrier committed eight violations of section 273 of
the Act. The carrier is therefore liable for fines totalling $8,000.

Section 273(c) of the Act permits remission (forgiveness in full)
where it appears that prior to the alien's departure from the last port
outside the United States, the carrier did not know, and could not have
ascertained with the exercise of reasonable diligence, that a visa was
required. What constitutes "reasonable diligence" varies according to
the circumstances of the case. Matter of "S.S. Florida," 3 I&N Dec.
111 (BIA 1917, 1948; A.G. 1948). In the present case, the carrier has
claimed that the passengers had unexpired visas in their possession
when they were boarded initially. The carrier, however, has failed to
substantiate this claim. The evidence the carrier has submitted in this
regard shows that eight alien passengers had passports with visas in
them. The names on the documents presented by the eight alien
passengers with visas, however, are not the same as the names of the
aliens in question, and the carrier has failed to show by any other
means that the aliens in question are the ones who presented the visas.
Moreover, the affidavits executed by the aliens in question indicate
that they did not have visas in their possession when they boarded the
carrier's flight and that no one checked their documents. We conclude,
therefore, that the carrier has failed to establish that remission is
warranted under the provisions of section 273(c) of the Act.

Accordingly, the following order will be entered.

ORDER: The appeal is dismissed.