California’s attorney general leads a ‘know your rights’ workshop for immigrants
by Lynn La
December 18, 2024
From CalMatters’ Wendy Fry:
As California’s “Trump-proofing” efforts continue, Attorney General Rob Bonta was in Los Angeles Tuesday, issuing new “Know Your Rights” guidance for immigrant communities and warning people about notario fraud.
Bonta reminded immigrants of their rights to an attorney; to access their police report; to apply for secure housing without sharing their immigration status; and to access emergency medical care. Immigrants, regardless of their legal status, have a right to a workplace free of harassment and discrimination, said Bonta.
- Bonta: “Your employer cannot threaten to call immigration authorities as retaliation against you.”
Typically held by immigrant rights organizations, “Know Your Rights” workshops aim to offer immigrants tools for protecting their rights and to alleviate community fears about President-elect Donald Trump’s promises to conduct mass deportations.
Tuesday’s event, held at the Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California, was the first in a series of statewide sessions and a signal of how hard California officials plan to push back.
Both Bonta and other immigrant advocates have warned people to be careful about the legal help they seek and to only use qualified and licensed immigration attorneys. Scams offering fake immigration services or extorting payments by threatening deportation target vulnerable communities, especially in Los Angeles. Experts believe the scams are vastly underreported.
“Now is not the time to go to a notario, even if it feels urgent, even if it seems cheap,” said Gina Amato Lough, the directing attorney of the Immigrants’ Rights Project at Los Angeles-based Public Counsel, a nonprofit civil rights law firm.
Bonta advised people to find legal aid through LawHelpCA.org. Amato Lough said people should always request receipts; request documents be translated into their first language; and make sure they carefully review any documents they sign.