Project End
If you have tried to get help from the wrong people in the past, we can help.
Project END is a direct legal services project aimed at remedying the harm caused by immigration legal services fraud. Project END provides advice, counsel, and representation to victims of fraud in civil, criminal, and immigration proceedings.
A notario, notario público, “case-writer,” or immigration consultant in the U.S. is not an attorney nor an accredited representative of the Department of Justice in the U.S., and consequently, is not licensed to provide immigration legal advice or legal services.
Unscrupulous actors routinely prey on immigrants because of linguistic, cultural, and financial obstacles that can render many particularly vulnerable to such fraud. This fraud can have devastating consequences for its victims, including financial loss, damage to a legal case, deportation, and permanent family separation.
If you have any questions or would like to refer a case to Ayuda’s Project END, please contact Colleen Normile, Project END Managing Attorney, at [email protected] | 202-552-3604.
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DESCARGA INFORMACIÓN (ESPAÑOL)
FIGHTING FRAUD
Ayuda’s Project END encourages consumers to submit complaints to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Complaints are viewed by local and national law enforcement and government agencies to identify and take action against businesses or individuals who defraud immigrant consumers.
To submit a complaint, please visit: FTC Complaint Assistant and click “Other” then “Immigration or Tax Services.” Complaints may be submitted anonymously.
Ayuda Project END has created a guide to show how to submit notario/legal services fraud complaints in DC, MD, VA, and nationally, with a summary of the potentially relevant civil and criminal statutes in each jurisdiction.
PROJECT END LEGAL RESOURCE
Ayuda partnered with Georgetown University Law Center’s Community Justice Project to develop resources on the options for accessing justice afforded to victims of notario fraud in the Washington, DC, area.
Protect and Serve: Access to Justice for Victims of Notario Fraud in the Nation’s Capital, provides a legal assessment of the problem of notario fraud, explains the adverse impacts, outlines various remedies available to victims, and offers recommendations for how to effectively bring justice against perpetrators.
Notario Fraud Remedies: A Practical Manual for Immigration Practitioners offers tools to identify notario fraud, to interview victims, and to advocate for immigration remedies, including Prosecutorial Discretion, U Nonimmigrant Status (for crime victims), and Motions to Reopen due to Ineffective Assistance of Counsel.
Project END is funded by the D.C. Bar Foundation and other donors.
Contact Us
DC Office
1990 K Street NW, Suite 500
Washington, DC 20006
202-387-4848
Closest metro station: Farragut West (orange/silver/blue line) and Farragut North (red line)
Maryland Office
8757 Georgia Ave, Suite 800
Silver Spring, MD 20910
240-594-0600
Closest metro station: Silver Spring (red line)
Virginia Office
2701 Prosperity Ave, Suite 300
Fairfax, VA 22031
703-444-7009
Closest metro station: Dunn Loring (orange line)