CCE Attends Conference on Immigrant Consumer Protection

More than 50 regional government, community and other stakeholders gathered last month at the Washington Field Office of U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) for a half-day conference on Immigrant Consumer Protection Issues in Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia. This July 16th event, organized by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and USCIS, featured panels on notario fraud and immigration services scams and other consumer-related scams targeting immigrants, such as unscrupulous debt collector practices. The conference also included a panel on some future challenges facing immigrant communities particularly with the anticipated immigration reform legislation and implementation of health care programs.

Some of the conference participants included members of CCE’s Notario Fraud Identification and Enforcement Working Group, namely FTC, USCIS, Department of Justice, Ayuda, Bryan Cave LLP, the American Immigration Lawyers Association, and the DC Office of the Attorney General. Much like the purpose of CCE’s working group on notario fraud, the conference allowed participants to share information about these consumer related scams targeting immigrants and the ongoing advocacy and collaboration to enforce against these bad actors.

Relatedly, National Public Radio recently aired a story on July 31st reporting on the new immigration fraud trends--- featuring the FTC’s efforts and the law firm of Bryan Cave LLP which recently litigated a consumer protection fraud case on behalf of immigrants in Virginia. Link to the story to learn more.