SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco District 9 Supervisor Jackie Fielder introduced a new ordinance at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting aimed at protecting immigrant communities from notary fraud, a persistent problem that can place families at risk of detention or deportation. The ordinance focuses on stopping notaries and immigration consultants from providing illegal legal advice that can seriously harm immigrant families.
“This ordinance seeks to further inform and protect immigrant clients who pay unwittingly for fraudulent legal counsel,” Fielder said. She explained that inaccurate legal advice can put immigration cases at risk and may lead to detention or deportation that could have been avoided.
If approved, the ordinance would require notaries to provide clients with a list of low-cost and free immigration legal service providers. These resources would be supplied by the San Francisco Office of Civic Education and Immigrant Affairs…