President Obama announces changes to immigration system

 Catholic Charities of the East Bay urges community to be wary of scams

Friday, November 21st, 2014: President Obama announced last night the executive actions he is taking to change our immigration system. With this historic announcement our immigrant communities will be able to benefit from an expansion of deferred action against deportations. This would include parents of children who are US citizens or permanent residents, expansion of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, and revisions to the deportation priorities.

While this is exciting news for the immigrant community, it is important that they be wary of scams and avoid falling victim to fraud. We urge members of our immigrant communities to seek assistance from accredited non-profit organizations or reputable private licensed attorneys. “Notarios,” notary publics, and immigration consultants may NOT provide legal advice or represent people before the USCIS. By law, the only people who may give you legal advice or represent you before USCIS are: Attorneys; and Non-attorney representatives who are accredited by the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA). For more information on attorneys and BIA- accredited representatives, please visit www.uscis.gov/avoidscams.

Catholic Charities of the East Bay is a BIA recognized organization with licensed attorneys and BIA accredited representatives on staff. We will be providing and working in partnerships to offer workshops, educational forums, clinics, and direct legal services to help the community prepare for applying for administrative relief.

For more information, please contact:
[twocol_one]Christopher Martinez,
Director of Legal Services
Catholic Charities of the East Bay
(510) 758-3159,
cmartinez@cceb.org[/twocol_one] [twocol_one_last]Eric Steckel,
Communications Manager
Catholic Charities of the East Bay
(510) 768-3147,
esteckel@cceb.org[/twocol_one_last]

Founded in 1935, Catholic Charities of the East Bay is devoted to providing social services and advocacy to the working poor and underserved in Alameda and Contra Costa County. Dedicated to the pursuit of safety and justice, we are agents of change for the marginalized, regardless of their religious faith. Through our array of services, we move children, youth and families from Crisis to Stability to Prosperity.