Article – Immigration Attorney Advice: Beware Immigration Fraud
Immigration Attorney Advice: When It Comes To Immigration Fraud, Beware False Friends
Long before I became an immigration attorney, I learned about false friends.
A popular song during my teenage years warned, “Smiling faces show no traces of the evil that lurks within.”
Today, as a deportation defense lawyer, I have learned the sad truth of smiling faces. They can destroy immigration hopes and dreams.
Immigration fraud is an epidemic. It is a silent epidemic. It sucks the life blood out of many deserving immigrant families.
This problem affects all immigrant communities.
In regions like Southern California and Arizona, the problem has hit Latino and Hispanic communities especially hard. Both government officials and non-profit groups have tried to alert Spanish-speaking immigrants living in cities like Riverside, San Diego, San Bernardino, Escondido, Hemet, and Los Angeles about the danger.
Still, week after week, I receive calls from distressed immigrants. They just found out they were the victims of immigration fraud. Many times, they contact me too late. Even an immigration appeal is often out of their reach.
Immigration agents may have rejected their applications. In Hispanic communties, many asylum, NACARA, and TPS green card petitioners have been victimized by fraud artists.
Once the fraud is discovered, the government may send the case to immigration court where victims now face deportation and removal charges. Sometimes they may be forced to defend against potential criminal convictions.
Most cases of immigration fraud fits into common patterns. If you know these patterns, it may save you or your family members from becoming an immigration fraud victim.
As an immigration attorney, the most common fraud ploy I have seen is the false friend scheme. Here is how it works.
The False Friend
He speaks to you in your own language. He seems so nice. Maybe he comes from your town or village. Maybe he knows some of the same people you know.
And he’s happy to help you in your quest for permanent residence. Of course you need to pay him something, right? He’s doing a lot to help you and your family. He seems so sincere.
Why not trust him?
Good question.
First, is your new friend qualified to help you?
The immigration system is extremely complex. It is unlikely your new friend can help you navigate the rocky road to U.S. permanent residence or citizenship.
Usually he will not know about the most recent changes in immigration law which affects your case. And even if he has heard about them, he does not know or care about how to decipher either the new rules or the new court cases.
Like a true pal will not let you drive home drunk, why would your new friend send you to an immigration interview when you do not know if your papers have been completed correctly?
There is a second, worse reason you need to be cautious following the advice of new friends.
Simply stated, you cannot assume that this nice stranger who speaks your language cares for you like a brother.
Many criminals take advantage of immigrants by appealing to their sense of community. They act like friends. They take your money. Then they disappear.
How Your Immigration Hopes Are Destroyed Forever
Immigration fraud is about more than the money you lost. Your entire life may be ruined. All the planning you put into becoming a legal resident of the United States can be lost forever.
For example:
Juan wanted to get his green card to live in the U.S. with his wife, Maria, and their three young children. To be sure they wouldn’t make a mistake, they hired Emilio. They met him through some church friends. Emilio gave them a business card which said he was an immigration consultant and a notario.
Emilio agreed to prepare Juan’s family-based visa papers for a reduced fee. Emilio told Juan that he would have to go to his home country for his immigration interview. He told Juan this was the normal process and he had helped many clients the same way.
Juan would get a green card, Emilio assured. He said Juan would be home in a few days. When Juan returned, Emilio added, Juan would be a lawful permanent resident.
At his interview, Juan learned that he would not be given a green card In fact, he could not return to the U. S. at all for the next 10 years.
Be Cautious: Do Not Become The Next Immigration Fraud Victim
Unfortunately, Juan is not the only immigrant who has been victimized by a false friend. And I suspect he may not be the last.
If you would like to find out more about immigration fraud schemes used by con artists, click here to download your FREE copy of How To Recognize And Avoid Immigration Fraud (Before You Become A Victim).
