Laura Malgarejo, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, has been waiting for more than a decade to hear president Barack Obama’s announcement on Friday that he will not deport young immigrants anymore.
Still, she is willing to wait until the election is over before applying for a coveted work permit.
“We are waiting for more details,” she said.
On Friday Obama said that his administration would not deport immigrants who came to this country as children. The Department of Homeland Security is still ironing out the details on how to implement the program.
In the absence of specifics, immigrant rights’ activists gathered at Dolores Street Community Services on Monday afternoon to warn people not to fall for scams.
“We are not going to give advice until we know more details,” said Reena Arya, a lawyer with the Asian Law Caucus.
Specifically they are wary of “notarios,” or notaries. In the U.S., a notary is someone who can legally certify documents and serve as a witness. In some Latin American countries, however, they are lawyers and sometimes public elected officials.
Typically “notarios” promise visas in exchange for a fee, even if the victim are not eligible, only to run away with the money.
Magarejo, 27, who came to the United States when she was 15, is a graduate of San Francisco State University and looking to get her master’s degree in public policy and public health.
“We are very happy,” she said. “This is a good first step.”
The second step, she said, would be comprehensive immigration reform.