State Bar, USCIS partner to curb unauthorized practice of immigration law

July 16, 2012

The Arizona State Bar is partnering with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and other local and federal agencies to crack down on the unauthorized practice of immigration law. The State Bar says it’s becoming increasingly concerned about so-called notarios, who act as legal advisers to Latino immigrants but are often scammers.

Speaking at an event last week about a similar program, Alberto Rodriguez with the State Bar said his group has seen a rise in notario activity after the Obama administration announced its deferred deportation policy.

“We’ve seen an increase, but we haven’t seen an increase of individuals coming to the state bar of Arizona to let us know that they’ve come into contact with these fraudulent individuals,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez hopes more community outreach will help teach people to report notarios. The new partnership is part of a national campaign by USCIS that began in San Antonio.