For many years I have advocated for greater protection for the immigrant community, fighting to expose, arrest and prosecute notarios and other unscrupulous individuals who practice law without authorization.
Today, I thank Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer for taking action. During a press conference at City Hall, Feuer announced an initiative to combat the illegal practice of law in Los Angeles.
His plan consists of 4 points:
- Inform the community about places that are authorized to offer legal services.
- Creation and distribution of educational materials that inform the community about their rights regarding immigration issues.
- Organization of meetings in Los Angeles to convene the community and inform them about immigration laws. The Procurador will work in conjunction with federally authorized groups and legal providers.
- Prosecution and prosecution of individuals who engage in the unauthorized practice of law. The District Attorney's Office will increase resources dedicated to the prosecution and prosecution of these individuals and will work in conjunction with law enforcement agencies and the Los Angeles Department of Consumer Affairs to investigate and prosecute individuals or groups who are violating the law by offering legal services without the necessary credentials and permits.
Feuer made the announcement 9 days after his visit to a special meeting in Westlake South, where I, as President of the neighborhood council in the area, and others in the area, asked for his help in combating the problem of notarios, immigration consultants and others who offer legal services without permission and defraud many immigrants.
Weeks earlier, the District Attorney's Office sent Deputy District Attorney Mark Ross to a meeting of the Westlake South Neighborhood Council, during which we expressed our concern that notarios, immigration consultants, paper pushers and multiservices continue to operate illegally, harming the immigration cases of many people and in several instances, defrauding them.
The only way to solve this serious problem is for law enforcement agencies to investigate, arrest and prosecute these individuals. So again, I commend Mr. Feuer for taking this initiative.
