Requesting Training to Include Immigration Remedies Available To Immigrant Victims and Witnesses of Immigration Services Scams

WHEREAS, the League of United Latin American Citizens is this nation’s oldest and largest Latino organization, founded in Corpus Christi, Texas on February 17, 1929; and

WHEREAS, LULAC throughout its history has committed itself to the principles that Latinos have equal access to opportunities in employment, education, housing and healthcare; and

WHEREAS, immigrants are vulnerable to immigration services scams that often result in immigrants paying for services that result in no immigration benefits, losing valuable immigration benefits and/or being placed in removal (formally deportation) proceedings; and

WHEREAS, on June 9, 201 I the Departments of Homeland Security (DHS), Justice (DOJ), and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued joint new release entitled "National Initiative to Combat Immigration Services Scams"; and

WHEREAS, that said news release announced that on June 9, 2011 the U.S. government unveiled am multi-agency, nationwide initiative to combat immigration services scams; and

WHEREAS, that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Alejandro Mayorkas has stated that "We are dedicated to protecting vulnerable immigrants from those who seek to exploit them"; and

WHEREAS, LULAC Ohio has personally known of a case in Ohio initiated by a Federal agency prior to the issuance of said memorandum, where the case involved the investigation of an immigration service scam and the Federal agency involved was not trained in immigration remedies available to immigrant victims and witnesses; and

WHEREAS, utilizing the immigration remedies currently available under the United States Immigration laws and the Immigration and Naturalization Act are vital and important in effectively combating immigration service scams in the manner and capacity discussed in the June 9, 2011 DHS, DOJ, and FTC news release; and

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, The League of United Latin American Citizens during its 82nd National Conference and Expo celebrated here in Cincinnati, Ohio on July 2nd of the current year of two thousand and eleven, requests that there be training provided to all Federal agencies involved in the investigation or prosecution of immigration services scams and that said training is to include immigration remedies available to immigrant victims and witnesses.

Approved this 1st day of July 2011.

Margaret Moran
LULAC National President