ICS Visits Phoenix, OR

On May 22nd and May 23rd, our legal team travelled to Phoenix, OR to take part in a resource fair hosted by the Mexican Consulate. Over two days, we sat down with community members facing a multitude of hardships. While Phoenix has begun to rebuild after the devastating wildfires of last fall, many immigrants are still dealing with housing insecurity, job uncertainty—and as we found out—many had fallen victim to immigration scams.One community member paid a notario nearly $4,000 for a citizenship application that never came to fruition. Already retired, she told us she spent a year saving what little she could for her immigration process, and in a matter of weeks, all of her money was gone. These types of scams—where bad faith actors take the hard earned money of our immigrant neighbors without delivering trustworthy legal services—may become common place as immigration reform enters the national dialogue. Notario fraud can devastate the financial wellbeing of immigrant families, and further sows distrust in our communities.ICS is committed to providing affordable and honest immigration representation. We know the pandemic has severely affected our clients. Many of them are being forced to choose between paying for rent or paying for their immigration case. We believe it's our responsibility to break down the cost barriers that keep our immigrant neighbors in the shadows, vulnerable to exploitation and further harm. Our innovative Immigrant Legal Relief Fund provides aid for those who are unable to pay the hundreds of dollars for their immigration applications. Our efforts are made possible by the support of our community partners, and donations from people like you.During our clinic, we had the honor of welcoming Rep. Pam Marsh of District 5. During her visit, Rep. Marsh spent hours discussing and identifying affirmative ways to support communities throughout Oregon. Rep. Marsh also spoke with ICS Executive Director, Frank Garcia, about strategies that continue to rebuild the community within her legislative district.Every day we are grateful for the opportunity to continue this great work. The need for safe and trustworthy immigration representation remains urgent throughout the state of Oregon, and we believe it is our responsibility to continue to provide low cost, high quality legal services to folks in already vulnerable positions.