Countywide : ‘Amnesty Fair’ Planned Saturday in Santa Ana

Aliens considering applying for amnesty can get free legal counseling and inexpensive medical exams March 5 at a special “amnesty fair” from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Corbin Community Center in Santa Ana.

The day’s activities are being jointly organized by the Immigration and Naturalization Service, the League of United Latin American Citizens and the Orange County Coalition for Immigrant Rights.

The coalition, organized in May by the Orange County Human Relations Commission and United Way agencies, coordinates efforts to help illegal aliens apply for amnesty under the new immigration law.

The law grants temporary resident status to illegal aliens who have been in the United States continuously since Jan. 1, 1982, but May 4 is the deadline for applying.

Coalition coordinator Robin Blackwell and Fidel Castaneda, assistant regional director of the INS legalization program, said the joint effort between the traditionally adversative groups was intended to convince eligible aliens to come forward before the deadline.

Amnesty applicants can have their documents reviewed by immigration officers, and INS-designated doctors will provide legalization medical exams, including required AIDS and tuberculosis tests, at $30 for adults and $10 for children.

For more information about the fair, which will also feature mariachis and Dallas Cowboys football star Efren Herrera, call (714) 547-0306.