SACRAMENTO – California Attorney General Xavier Becerra today issued a consumer alert warning Californians to be wary of scam artists or untrained immigration consultants who prey on immigrants by falsely holding themselves out as legally qualified to assist with immigration matters. The consumer alert urges those who need help navigating the immigration process to seek assistance from licensed attorneys or legal aid organizations – not from notaries or immigration consultants.
“Scam artists who pose as immigration attorneys should be ashamed of themselves. Just as dangerous are immigration consultants, who are not trained or legally allowed to help with a consumer’s immigration case, but do so and often botch the job, landing consumers in removal proceedings,” said Attorney General Becerra. “All Californians – regardless of immigration status – have rights. At a time when the Trump Administration is sowing fear among hardworking immigrants throughout our State, the California Department of Justice will do everything in its power to ensure that those rights are upheld.”