Foster Introduces Legislation to Crack Down on “Notario” Fraud

Washington, DC - Today, Congressman Bill Foster (D-IL) introduced the Protecting Immigrants from Legal Exploitation Act. The legislation would create penalties for those who provide fraudulent immigration legal services and allow immigrants who are victims of fraud to have their cases reconsidered under certain circumstances. It would also create grant programs to educate immigrants on how to avoid legal service fraud and help qualified nonprofit organizations provide legal services to immigrants.

In many Latin American countries, "notario" or "notario público" refers to state-appointed lawyers. However, in the United States, a notary only has the authority to witness and certify legal documents. This linguistic discrepancy can expose many recent immigrants, particularly those from Latin American countries, to the risk of fraudulent immigration legal services.

"My office, like many other Members of Congress, has seen a large increase in people seeking assistance with their immigration cases in the wake of the Trump Administration's attacks on immigrant communities," said Rep. Foster. "Now more than ever, well-meaning immigrants are vulnerable to fraudulent immigration lawyers looking to exploit them for money, possibly leading to their deportation. It's time to stop scammers from targeting vulnerable immigrants who are working to follow the legal immigration process in a time of fear and uncertainty."

The Protecting Immigrants from Legal Exploitation Act is cosponsored by Reps. Salud Carbajal (D-CA), Judy Chu (D-CA), Gil Cisneros (D-CA), Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Jesús "Chuy" García (D-IL), Hank Johnson (D-GA), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Jim McGovern (D-MA), Seth Moulton (D-MA), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Mike Quigley (D-IL), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Juan Vargas (D-CA), and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL).

A copy of the legislation is available here.

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