“I went to a notario.” These five words never fail to make attorney Ruby Robinson wince when they come from a new immigration client.
Say the client needs help preparing for a hearing they set up with a notary’s assistance. Robinson knows he could wind up fighting an avoidable deportation proceeding instead.
“A notary is a professional witness in the United States,” said Robinson, an attorney at the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center. They’re qualified to certify a signed document. “That’s it.”
Yet many immigrants, eager to find a path through our broken immigration system, rely on notaries for far more than certifying paperwork. Desperate for any small advantage, they often end up worse off than they started.
Warnings about this kind of fraud took on renewed urgency after Donald Trump’s election, which triggered a surge of interest in immigration legal services.
“Even saying, ‘I think this is the form you need to fill out’ — that’s providing legal advice,” Robinson explained.
“I’ve seen that happen a lot.”
What is ‘notario fraud’?
Immigration authorities have long warned of “notario fraud,” where notaries charge for legal advice they aren’t qualified or authorized to give. The consequences can be severe, both legally and financially.
The Federal Trade Commission released a digital zine explaining the issue in 2023. The American Bar Association has an initiative dedicated to preventing it.
While there have been few formal studies of the issue, a 1996 survey of undocumented immigrants in Los Angeles found that nearly three-quarters had received legal advice from notaries. Detroit-area attorneys say the issue remains prevalent today.
Ron Walker, principal of Walker & Associates of Michigan, a Detroit-based law firm specializing in immigration cases, described a hypothetical case: A notary charges a client for help submitting a naturalization form based on a marriage that didn’t meet legal standards. Authorities would reject the form, wasting the client’s money and time. They could also consider it a false statement, further jeopardizing the citizenship application.
An incorrectly submitted form could even trigger a deportation proceeding. Fighting that would require a lot of expensive legal help — from an attorney.
“If you had a brain tumor, you wouldn’t consult a next-door neighbor, you’d consult a brain surgeon,” Walker said.
Why is ‘notario fraud’ common?
Notario fraud exploits the desperation created by a U.S. immigration system that is often criticized for its restrictiveness and inhumanity.
When the system makes obtaining legal status expensive, complicated or even impossible, it’s no wonder people take a chance on the promise of cheap legal help.
According to Robinson, there are more than 30,000 people in deportation proceedings in Detroit today, and nearly two-thirds don’t have legal representation.
“They’ve been told no and no and no, and then someone says, ‘Oh, actually, there’s this thing you can do,” he said.
The problem is exacerbated by a linguistic overlap: In Latin America and parts of Europe, a “notario público” is a skilled legal worker with a broader mandate than notaries in the U.S. Although the term translates literally to “notary public,” the roles differ significantly.
In Michigan, it’s illegal for businesses to advertise as a “notario público” or other non-English equivalent. Outlier Media found several Detroit-based businesses doing just that on their websites or social media posts. It’s hard to know whether it’s an innocent translation or a deliberate offer of inappropriate legal advice — and that’s exactly the problem.
Where can I go for immigration legal help?
Despite the shortage of immigration attorneys, they’re still the best bet for help with legal issues, said Elizabeth Orozco-Vasquez, CEO of Freedom House Detroit, a nonprofit that supports refugees and asylum speakers.
“They’ve been told no and no and no, and then someone says, ‘Oh, actually, there’s this thing you can do.”
Ruby Robinson
“Start there before you take a friend’s recommendation for a notary,” she said. “They’re not equipped to take on immigration work.”
The Michigan Immigrant Rights Center is taking new cases in 2025, Robinson said. To inquire about its services, call 734-239-6863 and press 1, Monday through Thursday.
The State Bar of Michigan’s search tool lets you look up immigration attorneys in Detroit. Advocates also encourage immigrants to know their rights for encounters with police or immigration authorities.
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