Excitement over Biden’s immigration plans could help scammers
Legal experts worry that fraudsters will fleece immigrants who are enthused about President Joe Biden’s immigration actions.
Joe Biden’s first acts as president included taking steps to undo many of his predecessor’s restrictionist immigration policies.
But a slew of immigration-related executive orders and a proposed immigration bill unveiled Thursday — aimed at ushering in a more welcoming era for immigrants in the U.S. — could in the short-term set some immigrants back, as confusion about what each development means leaves certain members of the community vulnerable to immigration scams and fraudsters, advocates warn.
Oscar Londoño — executive director of WeCount!, a South Dade immigrant workers’ center — says an uptick in attempted “notario” fraud is already underway. Notarios are unauthorized to dispense legal advice, but some try to pass themselves off as ac
credited immigration attorneys. In many Latin American countries, a “notario público” is a legal professional, a far cry from a notary public, which almost anyone in the U.S. can become.
“Recently, our members have been reporting an increase in notarios who are charging for applications that don’t exist, notarios who are encouraging them to pay exorbitant rates with promises of citizenship based on the Biden proposal,” Londoño said. “And so what we are doing right now is trying to counter that misinformation.”
The Biden proposal in question is an immigration bill that the president announced on his first day in office. Democratic lawmakers unveiled the text of the legislation this week. Among other provisions, it lays out a path to citizenship for nearly 11 million undocumented people. Coverage of that proposal, alongside headlines of Biden’s immigration-related executive orders, has created excitement but some confusion in MiamiDade’s large foreign-born population, immigration advocates say. That confusion could cause some to fall prey to scammers.
“There’s a lot of people who think that there has been a change in law, but there hasn’t been,” said Adonia Simpson, director of family defense for the nonprofit law firm Americans for Immigrant Justice. In communication with community members, Simpson stresses that “there is no amnesty, there is no change in law and it’s not going to be a quick process. Do not apply for anything.”
Particularly vulnerable to scams, especially when there are swirling rumors of immigration reform, are people with limited English-language skills and a narrow understanding of complicated immigration laws and regulations.
“There’s so much coverage of immigration and the first 100 days, and that means that there is also a lot of miscommunication about what is actually happening, especially for new immigrants who have just come and don’t understand how the process works. That miscommunication
happens and everyone gets excited and the notarios take advantage of that,” said Mariana Martinez, an organizer with the American Friends Service Committee, a nonprofit immigrant organization.
While accurate data about immigration legalservices fraud is difficult to come by — in part because immigrants are typically reluctant to report fraud for fear of being deported — legal experts say rising scam risk when immigration is in the news is a long-standing trend.
Resorting to notarios can seriously jeopardize clients’ immigration cases and could wind up placing them in deportation proceedings. There’s also a hefty financial price to pay, with hundreds of thousands of dollars going down the drain — and into scammers’ pockets. That economic toll could be exacerbated during the pandemic, as Hispanics, a group that encompasses the majority of South Florida’s foreign-born population, have been
disproportionately affected by the COVID-related economic downturn.
To avoid being a victim of notario scams, Simpson, from Americans for Immigrant Justice, recommends always asking about the qualifications of immigration-service providers (including asking to see copies of their bar certificates) before letting them impart legal advice. It’s also important to request a receipt when paying for any legal services and to carefully review contracts before signing them.
People who can’t afford an attorney can visit the Immigration Advocates Network website to find a nonprofit provider in their area.
The day started out as a hunt for tuna, out on the Marathon Humps off the Florida Keys.
But the waves offshore last Saturday were a little rough. So Rob Helzer, captain of the Reel Calm charter boat out of Marathon, decided to do a fast troll for wahoo with his friends instead.
Helzer’s 34-foot Freeman center console was in about 600 feet of water just south of the reef when he said hundreds of flying fish streamed from the water around the vessel. His friends then saw a big splash behind the boat. But they didn’t know what it was.
About a minute later, they saw a bill come out of the water, and the reel of one of the rods started screaming.
By the time the crew got the other two rods’ lines out of the water, the spool of the rod the fish bit was almost empty, Helzer said.
After jumping out of the water three times, the large fish never broke the surface
again.
A 450-pound blue marlin was on the line. That size is rarity in Keys waters. this time of year.
Everyone on the boat that day — Russ Pilette, Dennis Dixon, Darin Westhoff, Davis Westhoff, Karl Dyle and Fisher Dyle — took turns reeling in the marlin. The fight took 55 minutes.
They brought the billfish to the side of the boat, removed the hook and took some photos.
Before letting it go, they had to drag it along side the boat for about 15 minutes to get water into its gills to rejuvenate it. Large fish are usually exhausted after a long battle with rod and reel.
Helzer said once freed, the fish went quickly back from where it came.
“After the release, it made a fast dash down towards the bottom.”
While the average blue marlin weighs no more than 400 pounds, they can grow much larger. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the state record was a 1,048-pound fish caught in July 2001 off Panama City.