UPDATE: Attorney General Kamala D. Harris, Univision Los Angeles, SEIU CA to Hold Statewide Public Forums on How to Avoid Immigration Services Scams and Apply for Citizenship

Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Contact: (916) 210-6000, agpressoffice@doj.ca.gov

LOS ANGELES - Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today announced the kick off of a series of statewide public forums in partnership with Univision Los Angeles, the Service Employees International Union of California and iAmerica to provide Californians applying for U.S. Citizenship with information on the application process and how to avoid immigration services fraud.  

The forums are a continued effort by the Attorney General’s Civil Rights Enforcement Section (CRES), which last year hosted and presented at forums across the state to warn immigrant communities of scams targeting immigrants and con artists perpetrating immigration services fraud. At the forums, CRES will also educate attendees about wage theft, a crime that is often targeted at immigrant populations.

"The first step to protecting immigrant communities from scams is to provide education on how to avoid them,” said Attorney General Harris. “These forums are a crucial opportunity for immigrants to learn about the benefits and responsibilities of U.S. citizenship and learn how to avoid becoming a victim of wage theft and immigration services scams.”

The public forums will be hosted in eight California cities including: Los Angeles, Riverside, Fresno, Sacramento, San Jose, San Marcos, Oakland and Modesto. The statewide public forums will provide community members an opportunity to receive information about the citizenship process, set up an individual appointment for free assistance with citizenship applications, and hear from the Attorney General’s Office on how individuals can avoid being a victim of immigration services scams and wage theft.

“SEIU members are proud to partner with Attorney General Harris to protect Californians and aid immigrant families in achieving their dreams of U.S. Citizenship,” said SEIU California President Laphonza Butler. “Together we are working to break down barriers that stand in the way of immigrants initiating their pathway towards citizenship. We hope that the steps we are taking as a community will help empower the close to 2.5 million immigrants eligible to naturalize in California initiate the process and make their voices heard in our nation’s democratic process.”

Information about more upcoming forums will be announced in the coming days.

UPCOMING FORUM DATES  
Riverside:
April 30, 2016
SEIU 721
6177 River Crest Dr. #B
Riverside CA, 92507

FORUMS ALREADY HELD

Riverside:
Saturday, February 27, 2016 from 9AM to 1PM
Our Lady Of Perpetual Help Church
5250 Central Ave
Riverside, CA 92504

Hayward:
Saturday, March 5, 2016 from 9AM to 4PM
Glad Tidings Church-North Campus
27689 Tyrrell Ave.
Hayward, CA 94844

Los Angeles:
Saturday, January 30 from 9AM to 2PM
Mendez High School
1200 Plaza Del Sol E
Los Angeles, CA 90033

Major changes to United States immigration policy, like those contained in President Barack Obama’s Immigration Accountability Executive Actions announced in November 2014, often lead to con artists emerging to prey on vulnerable consumers seeking help with immigration services.

Attorney General Harris issued a consumer alert informing Californians of these scams and providing tips to help consumers protect themselves. In addition, the Attorney General issued a consumer alert informing Californians about possible scams targeting immigrants attempting to obtain a driver’s license under Assembly Bill 60 (Alejo, 2013).

On December 3, 2015, California, along with 15 other States and the District of Columbia, joined an amicus curiae brief authored by the State of Washington supporting the United States’ petition for certiorari in the U.S. Supreme Court, to overturn a nationwide preliminary injunction blocking President Obama’s November 2014 executive actions on immigration. The court granted review and it will hear the case later this term. The States’ brief argued that, by preventing these policies from going into effect, the injunction harms States by preventing undocumented immigrants from working and generating taxes, by decreasing public safety, and by creating social harms such as displacing the undocumented parents of U.S. citizen children. 

For additional information regarding these forums please contact SEIU's media contacts:

English Language

Michael Roth

Email: Mike@paschalroth.com Phone: 916-444-7170

Spanish Language

Maria Elena Jauregui

Email: mjauregui@servimediainc.com Phone: 818-355-5291

 

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