. >> reporter: vawa is the violence against women act and allows women abused who petition for legaltus themselves ccutting their u.s.izen spouse out of the process. the thinking sim grants might be less likely to call police on an abusive spouse if they later had to rely on that spous for immigration status. >> they are now using vawa as a means whi which to escape the two-year requirement to remain in a marital relationship. >> reporter: john sampson said h suspected misuse of vawa regularly durin decades as an ice agent and felt powerless to stop it and r nows a consulting firm and has heard erom roughly 1,500 americans who believe they marriage fraud victims. >> i love you, want to be with you, thank you for the green ird, bye, i'm gone. >> reporter: 85,00igrant spouses have self-petitioned using vawa in the last decade, more than 67% of those already approved. sampson says investigators are told to treat the american as a prohibited source of information and to protect the immigrant's safety and investigators can't even tell the amecan that t spouse filed a vawa claim. >> this i

va >> vawa is the violence against women act. allows immigrants who are abused or petition for legal status themselves. cutting their u.s. spouse out of the process. thinking the immigrants mig be less likely to call police on y later spouses in t had to rely on the spouse for immigrant status. >> now they are using havvawa an excuse to remainn the relationship. >> he felt powerless to stop it. he now runs a consultingirm andays he's heard from roughly 1500 american whose believe they are marriage fraud victims. >> i love yan. i to be with you. thank you for the green card. goodbye i'm gone. >> they filed a freedom of --. more than 67% of those who already been approved. sampso saysnvestigators are told to treat the american as the prohibitive source of information. and to protect the immigrant's safety, investigators can't even tell the american their spouse filed vawa claim. >> this is happening every day of the week in cities and towns across this country. >> reporter: and he says fraud n one on one cases is almost never pursu