SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — Immigration reform is stalled in Congress but that's not stopping immigrants from contacting lawyers, filling out paperwork and making other preparations in hopes of getting a head start should laws change.
That's got some advocates concerned that immigrants, who have been duped before by unscrupulous attorneys and others, could be snookered again. California lawmakers last week passed a bill to ban the practice of charging fees for services related to immigration reform before Congress passes an overhaul.
Immigrant supporters are warning people to be wary of anyone — lawyers, immigration consultants or "notarios" — who offers to help fill out paperwork for a still-non-existent legalization program. Yet many are also urging immigrants to make sure their personal documents are in order now, saying there could be long lines at consular offices for passports and other paperwork.
"If you start planning for it the day it passes, you are probably going to be too late," said Daniel Sharp, legal director at the Central American Resource Center in Los Angeles.
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