Important Advisories

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS 

All individuals residing in the United States have certain rights regardless of their immigration status. Below are resources to assist individuals with education and information.

Legal Aid Justice Center provides a comprehensive set of resources for emergency preparation including important documents and worksheets:  RESOURCES HERE

CLINIC (Catholic Legal Immigration Network) provides a toolkit for individuals and communities looking to prepare for immigration emergency response: RESOURCES HERE

CLINIC provides information in a variety of languages regarding rights and education for immigrants and advocates: CLICK FOR SITE

CLINIC also provides printable cards that community members may keep with them in case of an encounter with enforcement agents: PRINTABLE CARD LINK

*If you are looking for someone who has been detained by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), the detainee locator website is: https://locator.ice.gov/odls/#/search

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NOTARIOS AND SCAMS

In Latin America, a “notario público,” refers to a highly trained attorney who performs many of the services an attorney in the United States does. However, a “notary public” in the United States has a much different role than those in Latin America. They cannot give legal advice to clients. People who exploit this confusion and falsely represent themselves as “notarios” victimize thousands of immigrants.

Common schemes by “notarios” include promising a quick work permit, filing a fraudulent asylum application leading to an order of deportation, filing petitions for people barred by law from getting the benefit they seek and falsely representing to immigrants that they can reduce sentences/convictions. Their practices jeopardize immigrants’ status because they lack substantive knowledge of relevant issues and are often unable to stay abreast of the frequent changes in immigration law.

Learn more at StopNotarioFraud.org

Some of the most common immigration scams are listed HERE and include:

Government Impersonators

Misleading Offers of Support

Job Offers Scams

Payments by Phone or Email

Form I-9 and Email Scams

TPS Re-registration Scams

Be sure to report to authorities immediately if you discover you have been a victim of a scam. 

NEWS AND UPDATES

If you are a community member interested in keeping up to date with news and updates from the following National Catholic Organizations, please see links below:

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops - Committee on Migration

Catholic Charities USA - Immigration and Refugee Policy

Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc.