The Trump administration recently announced the end of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, potentially putting at risk of deportation the nearly 800,000 young immigrants who have received work permits and deportation relief since its inception.
The DACA program was created through an executive action President Barack Obama signed in August 2012. It gives unauthorized immigrants who came to the United States before age 16 - a group sometimes called dreamers - a chance to stay in the United States to study or work, provided they meet certain conditions, such as being enrolled in high school or having a high school degree or GED equivalent, and not having a serious criminal conviction. Those approved for the program are given a work permit and protection from deportation for two years, and these benefits can be renewed.
According to the Pew Research Center, DACA renewals have increased significantly since the program started. Halfway through the 2017 fiscal year, more than 200,000 unauthorized immigrants nationwide have renewed their benefits.
As a result of the DACA announcement, dreamers will be looking for legal advice on how to proceed. Emotions will be running high in the coming days and weeks, and scammers may be looking to take advantage of families unfamiliar with the American legal system.
Filling out government forms incorrectly - and without the authorization to do so -could jeopardize the immigrant's application and their chances for relief in the future. If a notario, immigration consultant or bad lawyer falsifies answers on a form, it could make the immigrant ineligible for relief, and put them at immediate risk for deportation.
Furthermore, scammers may seek to directly obtain personal information or money from immigrants. In some cases, scammers have been known to call potential victims, claiming to be a representative of a government agency. The scammer may threaten immigrants with deportation, unless they make a payment to the caller. At other times, a scammer will call and request personal information, such as a Social Security number, passport number or other private information and then request payment to correct supposedly inaccurate government records.
BBB urges consumers to always check out any business or lawyer with BBB and follow these tips when seeking out any representation:
Do not go to a notario, notario pblico or a notary public for legal advice. While the word "notario" may refer to a powerful attorney in many Latin American countries, in the United States notarios are not lawyers and they are not authorized to provide legal advice or represent consumers at government agencies.
Do not provide confidential information over the phone or via email. Always ask for an in-person consultation before making any decisions or signing any documents.
Beware of businesses or individuals who guarantee they can get you a Visa, Green Card or Employment Authorization Document. Also, be careful of individuals who claim to be affiliated or have special connections to USCIS.
Do not let anyone keep your original documents, such as your birth certificate or passport. Scammers may keep them until you pay to get them back.
Do not send funds through Western Union or buy prepaid cards - always pay by credit card so you can have a paper trail.
Never sign a document before reading it entirely, or a document that contains obsolete or incorrect information.
Research immigration attorneys at bbb.org.
Sean Spence is the Mid-Missouri regional director for Better Business Bureau.