Fraudulent lawyer steals $25,000 - how to avoid immigration scams

A very unpleasant case recently came to light involving an alleged lawyer who defrauded an immigrant family of nearly $25,000 when ICE detained their brothers. According to the information available, the family met the fake lawyer online on a website. He was a well-dressed man in a supposedly luxurious office who spoke highly of his experience in immigration cases and promised to help them get their brothers released quickly.

He convinced the family to send him $25,000 through a money transfer service. He told them he was an experienced lawyer, and the family did not bother to verify any of the information. After sending him the money to represent their brothers in court via videoconference, the fake lawyer never showed up.

Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to find this person, and even if they do, I don't think they will get their money back. Furthermore, their brothers remain in detention and their cases are delayed while they find a legitimate lawyer to review their case and tell them what to do. It is always best to meet with a lawyer in person, and if it is through a website, you should do your research by making phone calls. You can also call the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), which can tell you if a person is a member of the Association. Almost all lawyers who specialize in immigration cases with a legal license are members of AILA. You can contact them Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM at 202-507-7600 and ask for immigration attorneys in the city where you live, and they can give you the name and information to make an appointment with one of them. You can also use their search tool to find an attorney.

Be careful not to waste your money, especially in cases like this.

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New ICE plan to deny work permits to asylum seekers

There are rumors that the famous mastermind behind many of this administration's racist and anti-immigrant plans, Stephen Miller, is planning a new policy regarding limiting access to work permits for immigrants after they file an asylum application.

They are allegedly preparing an executive order to make the change, making it more difficult to obtain a work permit through asylum by proposing that people have to wait up to a year to apply and requiring that ICE or immigration judges decide cases within 180 days.

Currently, asylum applications, whether through immigration courts or by applying at the asylum office in Chicago, have a backlog of approximately 1 million new cases. This means that the decision on these cases will likely take approximately 3 years.

We are awaiting the announcement of this new policy to do everything possible to file lawsuits in court to stop this change, but you must understand that the Trump administration will continue to make life difficult for immigrants, especially those seeking political asylum.