Protecting deferred action applicants against fraud

Protecting your identity while seeking legal status in the United States isn’t simple. That’s the message from deferred action experts, looking to help Central Coast residents with questions about two federal programs. The California Attorney General’s Office is concerned about fraud while immigration reform is still in limbo.

While Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or DACA, aims to provide a path to citizenship for those who came to the U.S. before age 16, those who’ve been though it say it wasn’t an easy process.

“You know you have a lot, things, a lot of hoops you have to jump through. And so being able to work legally, has done wonders for me. I was able to work and to pay for my tuition, I graduated from Fresno State and I am very proud of that.” said Sofia Zapata.

Zapata hopes those who attended Sunday’s public forum on immigration at Hartnell College, will get the guidance they need to jump through those hoops successfully, as well. Packets were handed out to participants with a road map to let people know if they’re eligible or not.

“Back in 2012, when nobody really knew exactly how that was going to work or what was going to happen to those who applied and there was a lot of fear and a lot of speculation,” Zapata said.

Speculation that’s lead to a lot of questions for undocumented parents who thought they had a solid path, until the Deferred Action for Parental Accountability or DAPA, was placed on hold. The state doesn’t want that delay to create victims of identity theft.

“We want to make sure that people know that this is a critical time, that scammers are out there trying to take advantage of the community, trying to tell them already that the applications are available, that they can help them through that process. And we just want to warn individuals that they need to be very careful during this period of uncertainty,” Deputy Attorney General Marisol Leon said.

Immigration experts said anyone applying for deferred action, should get help from a licensed attorney.

“First thing is to really verify who you’re working with or who you’re signing a contract with. So, if the person is a lawyer, to make sure that the person is licensed. And its a tricky question because if you’re looking for a divorce lawyer or a criminal attorney, that person must be licensed in California,” Leon said.

Those who are licensed said they’re ready to help.

“It’s important that you go to somebody that you can trust, somebody in the community that’s truly taking care of people and that you’re not going to somebody that’s just going to take your money, take your documents, take your information and somehow use that to exploit you,” tax preparer Rolando Rivera said.