Save Immigrants From Cons

It’s bad enough when a con artist takes your money and runs. It’s even more painful when the criminal also trashes your dreams. More than 100 Latino families recently saw their hopes dashed by a mother-daughter team in Stanton who last month pleaded guilty to posing as immigration agents and taking $105,000 from their victims in exchange for bogus promises to assist in obtaining residency cards.

Immigration fraud is rampant in Southern California because most victims, typically undocumented workers, are afraid to complain to police because of fears they’ll be deported. It’s a vicious situation because those who stoop low enough to defraud undocumented workers also will use that fear to blackmail victims bold enough to demand their money back.

Orange County should be doing more to protect undocumented workers. A good starting point would be the creation of a specialized prosecution team akin to the Los Angeles Immigration Fraud Task Force. The Los Angeles County district attorney’s task force works with community groups to educate undocumented residents about the dangers of immigration fraud and their legal rights.

The task force acts as a clearinghouse for immigration fraud data, and it educates police agencies that often operate under the mistaken belief that immigration fraud isn’t a criminal matter. The task force is working with the U.S. Department of Justice and the Immigration and Naturalization Service to suggest regulatory changes that would allow undocumented workers to register complaints without the fear of initiating deportation proceedings.

Orange County should protect those who can least afford to be taken for a painful and expensive ride. The reason is evident in the plaintive message from a 34-year-old mother of three who lost $3,000 in the Stanton scam: “We just wanted hope, and sometimes you pay anything for hope.”