Haitians rush to sign for protected status
'Vultures' loom as scammers

http://www.news-press.com/article/20100 ... ted-status

Calls from Haitians have flooded organizations that serve immigrants.

Reports of scam artists have started appearing.
Southwest Florida groups and attorneys are gearing up to serve and protect the flux of Haitians expected to apply for temporary protected status.

They were able to begin applying Thursday.

"I expect for us to be booked several weeks or months ahead of time," said the Rev. Bob Selle, who leads Amigos Center, which provides immigration help in Bonita Springs, Naples, and Fort Myers. "That's definitely going to be a priority."

Long denied for Haiti, the benefit the government can extend after a natural disaster was granted after the earthquake.

It allows Haitians here illegally to apply to stay and work legally and travel outside the country.

The relief runs for 18 months for Haitians who arrived on or before the devastating Jan. 12 earthquake, though some anticipate it will be extended.

Florida Equal Justice Center in Fort Myers is trying to blanket the community with fliers warning people about scams.

"Every place I stop, I ask, 'Do you have Haitian customers?'" said Sally Schmidt, the center's executive director. "We're mainly trying to protect people from paying up to $1,200 for services."

The center has fielded about 90 inquiries about the status or other temporary immigration relief.

Schmidt has already heard of notaries or businesses asking for hundreds to send in the paperwork.

She and others recommend visiting only licensed attorneys or accredited immigration agencies.

Fort Myers immigration attorney Ricardo Skerrett visited a Haitian Creole radio station this week to warn people of fraud.
"There are always vultures out there," he said.

The government will charge almost $500 to process the application and work cards for most people, said Schmidt, who expects it to be generous with fee waivers for impoverished people.

The center takes no fees for people who are at 200 percent of the poverty line. The poverty line for one person is about $11,000.
Amigos Center will charge about $60 to help people apply for papers to stay and work.

Equal Justice Center employees are talking with other groups to coordinate efforts and reviewing case files to find Haitians who might qualify.
The first appointments at Amigos Center and Florida Equal Justice Center will be set for the first week of February.

The federal application period ends July 2010. People convicted of a felony, or two or more misdemeanors are not eligible for the status, lawyers said.

Haitians with orders to be deported - which were also halted - may be able to adjust their status if they can get the case terminated by a judge, Skerrett said.

About 30,000 Haitians in the U.S. have standing deportation orders.
Skerrett believes the federal government will extend the relief because "it's a long-term tragedy."

Almost 13,000 people born in Haiti live in Lee and Collier counties, according to the Census, though many people who are here illegally may not be included in that tally.