News Scrapbook 1986-1988

'lbe.illnDit'golinlan D-7

Sunday, March 8, 1987

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,,.________________________Ill 30 community groups will assist applicants N ot all counseling organizations are planning to profit from the 1986 immigration law. More than 30 community groups have started gearing up to provide free or low-cost help to thousands of potential amnesty applicants when the filing process begins on May 5. The Mexico-U.S. Law Institute at the Unttersity of San Diego has formed a coalitioo of the organizations, and hopes to publish a directory listing them soon. "We're trying to get organized, to see what each institution is doing, and coordinate their activities," id institute director Jorge Vargas. "We're thinking now of dividing the labor, so that some will be assisting applicants, processing applications, others will be more active, litigating on their behalf. Maybe a third group will be formed to disseminate information." Some coalition members are already holding free amnesty workshops for undocumented workers and their employers. Marco Antonio Rodriguez, director of the church-sponsored Centro de Asuntos Migratorios in Chula Vista, said he has made presentations to an average of 60 people a week since December. "We've been giving them general information, on what aspects of the law apply to them, what to do in case they get fired or questioned about their citizenship," he said. The centro is forming an "amnesty team" to process up to 30 applications a day, four days a week. The processing fee has not yet been set. Catholic Community Services, which expects to process thousands through an INS-sponsored program, will station volunteers at parishes throughout San Diego County to help prepare documents and fill out forms. A fee will be charged, but coordinator Maria Derdugo said "no one will be turned away if they are unable to pay." For the past month, Derdugo has been discussing legal rights and potential sanctions under the new law with workers and employers at nurseries, schools and restaurants. "We've had quite a bit of interest already," said Derdugo. "Everyone wants to know now what's going to happen." Other groups which will provide low-cost or free processm assistance include the Chicano Federation, the Legal Aid Society and the USO law clinic in Sao Ysidro. Free amnesty advice will also be given Wednesday nights from March 18 to April 29 on the Spanish language radio program Contacto 89, aired on KPBS. ost Hector.Molina said. attorney Jorge Var f the SD Law School and Lilia Velasquez of Cal Western w School, along with guest attorneys, will describe what documents arc o ed, how to fill out forms and what employer sanctions are proposed. Each presentation will be followed by call-in participation, Molina said.

who accuse each other of incom- petence and charging excessive fees. Attorneys say consultants often use the title of notary public to imply authority they do not possess. (In Mexico and many other Latin coun- tries, a "notario" is a powerful per- son with legal authority.) "This is a horrendous problem," said Sana Loue, a Legal Aid Society attorney and president of the San Diego chapter of the American Im- migration Lawyers Association. "The indigent, the uneducated go to some- one who claims to be an attorney but is not, and does things completely off the wall." Victims are unlikely to complain, Loue said, because they risk deporta- tion if they are discovered. Reacting to an increasing number of com- plaints, State Senators Art Torres, D- Los Angeles, and Nicholas C. Petris, !)..Oakland, recently introduced, leg- islation to regulate consultants. Last week, a California attorney general's task force announced it was investi- gating po'lSible fraud by immigration consultants in Los Angeles, and pos- sibly San Diego and Orange counties. To avoid becoming a partner in possible exploitation, many Spanish- language newspapers, radio stations and television stations in the Los An- geles area have refused to accept im- migration attorney and consultant advertisements. Jose Lozaro, publisher of La Opin- ion newspaper, said that has been his policy for 20 years. "Unti' the new law, a lot of the media her had the same policy," he said. "But I've no-

ticed a few are starting to run the ads again." Employers and unions are also large potential markets for those hoping to cash in on the new law Several books are already being marketed (including one from the Immigration Law Reform Institute in Washmgton, D.C.), and seminar are being offered with increasing frequency. On April 16, the Institute for Re- gional Studies of the Cal f rnias at UCSD will sponsor an al1"4a;, cont r ence on the law f

made up of immigration attorneys, representatives from labor groups, unions and the INS, and personnel managers. The $95 fee includes lunch. Allen Wuhrman, cad of INS In vestigations in San Diego, said ad- vertising hoopla around the law has "kind of died down latP.ly" But after the final regulations are released in March, the activity is expected to pick up again. Said Herman Baca, director of the Committee for Chicano Rights in Chula 1/ista "As they say 10 the mov- 1eq You ain't seen nothin' yet.'"

services immediately after the im- migration law was signed Nov. 6. Among them was Luis Planas, who kicked off hi "Operation Arnn ty" progiam by offering a $200 fee to his first 200 customers. Planas, who has offices in Nalional City, Chula Vista and downtown San Diego, said he has more than 600 igned up now. Hi~ fee for helping clients fill out their INS application forms - has in- creased to $500, with discounts for family members. Other attorneys have also taken advantage of the early interest by 1gning up cli nts. Most would not d1 cu their fees, but Flores and Irma Ca tro of the Chicano Federa- tion said they have heard of fees up to $3,000. • Some immigration consultants, who are proliferating in San Ysidro, allonal City, Chula Vista, and other largely Hispanic neighborhoods, also started advertising early. "Let's put 1t this way. The ones who get their applications first are going to be ap- proved first,'' said Jose B. Uribe, of Aztlan consulting service in Chula Vista, whose bu iness has "doubled" since November. He wouldn't discuss fees, but said they could easily top 1,000. At the other extreme, paralegal Chris Lmville, a partner in the con- sulting firm ALegal Action in Chula Vista, said he · charging $150. Un- like attorneys, consultants are not regulated and are not required to un- dergo special trainmg. Kstimates of potential applicants m San Diego County range from 20,000 to more than 100,000. "It's any- on 's guess right now," said INS spokesman homas O'Dooald, "But I'd ay the higher number would be closer" If the 100,000 figure IS accurate, a minimum of $20 million will be spent rn ba ic fllmg fees alone. Last week, the IN tentatively set a filing fee of $200 per applicant, up to $500 for a family, to cover paper and process- mg costs. (More than 50 people will be hired to handle the additional workload in San Diego and Imperial counties, said Clifton Rogers, INS deput} district director). Applicants also must pay for medi- cal exams, fingerprinting, identifica- tion photos and copying fees for do- cumentation. Alfred Banks, owner of Banks Photo Studio, near the down- town INS offices, hopes the law will create a bullish market for $6.95 ID photo . "Everythiog's going to be in- creasmg. increasing," he said. "Peo- ple have been hiding a long time." Approved doctors are expected to be in demand during the one-year ap- plication process. In San Diego and Imperial counties, only 10 doctors are currently approved by the Cen- ters for Disease Control to perform medical exams for the federal gov-

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San Diego, CA {San Diego Co.) Evening Tribune (Cir. D. 127,454)

1987

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Jllff!11 '1 P. C. B ~S-~

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Thursday, March 12 . essors at University of San Diego will attempt to answe th question: '«hat can be done lo improve women's economic st~tus~ ·?e?'k w,nctake plac~ from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Manchester on erence enter. It 1s free to the public. For information t t John Nunes at 260-4682. con ac

Palo Alto, CA (Santa Clara Co.) Peninsula Times Tribune

(Cir. D. 60,288) (Cir. S. 60,011) MAR 7 • 187 Jl/fl!II 's P. C. B

- Nancy Cleeland

ernment. Rogers said DC has been asked to expand that list, which INS gives to all applicants, to 35 doctors. The CDC-set fee for each mandatory exam is $49.50. That is nearly $5 mil- lion for 100,000 applicants. INS spokesmen are advising po- tential applicants to do nothing at this point except gather documents such as rent receipts, utility bills, school records and other papers to prove their residency in the United States since Jan. 1, 1982. Dozens of non-profit groups in the San Diego area are already gearing up to provide free or low-cost coun- seling once the application process begins in May, coordinated by the Mexico-U.S. Law Institute at the Uni- versity of San Diego. However, some applicants can't

wait long. Hundreds of undocument- ed workers who were arrested after the law was signed are in limbo now, their deportation proceedings sus- pended to give them time to file. After May 5, they must file within 30 days or will be automatically deport- ed. Thousands of others are simply anxious, ready to ign on with anyone who will promise a good chance at legalization. S:i , Y,idro con~ultant Alan Garci:i said hi~ s~ retary has already logged mo e t/,1.>n I,5o< calls from eager applica•its w•ntin~ infor- mation on the nev la G;ircia said he expected his fees to star, at $250 and run up to $1,000 or more. The rush to pay for legal advice has intensified a long-standing feud between attorneys and consultants,

hr. 1888 ·eroncos reacli he final Will play Pepperdine for WCAC title tonight SAN FRANCISCO - It wasn't pretty, but beauty didn't seem to matter to the Santa Clara Universi- ty basketball team Friday night. What mattered is Pepperdioe is the only team standing between Santa Clara and Its first NCAA post- season tournament berth since ' 1970. The Broncos, who finished fifth during the 14-game West Coast Ath- letic Conference, overcame "per- sonal'' problems to defeat St. Mary's College, 55-50, in the second semifinal game of the inaugural WCAC Basketball Tournament Fri- day night at USF Memorial Gym before a crowd of 5,260. Pepperdln 1 , th By Kevin Doyle Times Tribune staff

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With four points and Robertson tal- lied 10, but that didn't stop St. Mary's from shooting a mere 28.2 percent from the field for the "That was two pretty exciting games to start a tournament with," Williams said. In the opener, the Toreros had their 14-game winning streak ended with the I~. They hope the same cannot be said about their season. Sunday, the NCAA Tourna- ment selection committee will name the tournament tlelJI.......S.IMl D 1 ·o is hoping to be namecl'asan eteam.

seventh-place finisher in the regu- lar season, qualified for tonight's 7:30 final after upsetting No. l seed and regular-season champion Uni- versity of San Diego, 64-63, lo a dramatic opener. The nightcap between the third- -"""°"''·' place Gael,; (l 7-13) and fifth-place Broncos (17-13) was less intriguing than the opener, but just as excit- ing. In fact, the Broncos didn't give much of an Indication during Fri- day's game that they would be able to play With the Waves tonight. At least that was the case in the first half when they trailed St. • Mary's, 32-23, after shooting only · · seven free throws to the Gaels' 25. "I thought the (personal) fouls were a little out of line in the first half," Broncos' coach carroll Wil- liams said after the win. "When we got a chance to get the right combi- nation out there, things began to come together." The right combination Included Brian Moody, Jens Gordon, Chris Lane, Roland H'Orvath and Dan Weiss, who spent much of the game

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on the bench next to Williams be- cause of foul trouble. Weiss scored six of the Broncos' last eight points down the stretch to turn a 50-49 deficit into the 55-50 win. Weiss hit a followup, two free throws and a dunk in between a Gordon muscle-up to power the Broncos down the stretch. "We were a little more consis- tent in the second halt and that's because we had the people playing

"I think we deserve to be select- together," Williams said. "I was a ed based on our 14-game win little upset with our effort In the streak and our performance over first half." the year," said Hank Egan, the What did he tell his team at half- Toreros third-year coach. tlme that enabled them to over- San Diego almost did not need a come a nine-point deficit? second chance to qualify for the "We tried to get our emotions tournament. With seven seconds under control "at halftime," Wil- left and Pepperdine in possession Iiams said. "We are a physical the Waves were called for a back~ team. We wanted to play aggressi- court violation. Egan immediately vely." called timeout to setup one last . Santa Clara's aggressive defen- chance. Guard Danny Means s1ve style shut down the Gaels' All· missed a difficult driving layup, WCAC duo of Robert Haugen and which would have provided e Paul Robertson. Haugen finished game winner.

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Times Tribune photo by Ted Fink

Dan Curry (25) of St. Mary's battles Santa Clara's Dan Weiss for a rebound during Friday's Please see scu, B-5 West Coast Athletic Conference playoff game. Santa Clara won to reach fonight's_f_in_a_ls_.______