Coalition Formed to Help Illegal Aliens : Community Called Unready for Amnesty Law

Representatives of community service groups in San Diego County warned Tuesday that they may be ill-equipped to provide adequate information and legal assistance to the tens of thousands of illegal aliens expected to apply for amnesty under the new immigration law.

“The potential is to be simply inundated with requests for services,” said Carl Poirot, executive director of the San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program, which is providing free legal services to applicants and organizations.

Under the new immigration law, community-based groups nationwide have been assigned a key role in screening prospective candidates for amnesty, or legalization, and in assisting aliens in the preparation of their applications. Despite numerous unanswered questions about the amnesty process, the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service will begin accepting applications May 5--less than seven weeks from today. Most illegal aliens will then have 12 months to apply.

At a news conference Tuesday, 16 nonprofit groups announced the formation of an umbrella organization of church-affiliated, private and union groups called the San Diego Immigration Law Coalition, which is designed to coordinate amnesty efforts. Coalition officials immediately put out an “urgent” call for volunteers, such as clerks, receptionists, lawyers and translators, who are needed to assist the various agencies.

“We’re already stretched to the max as to what we can put out,” said Marco Antonio Rodriguez, executive director of Centro de Asuntos Migratorios, which provides assistance to illegal aliens. “We have limited funds.”

Apart from bemoaning their own limitations, coalition officials criticized the INS for not mounting a greater public information effort and for not clarifying key aspects of the amnesty program. Representatives noted, for instance, that there is not yet a formal, final application form for amnesty.

“May 5th is just around the corner,” Rodriguez said. “It’s imperative that accurate information is available immediately.”

In Los Angeles, Joseph Flanders, an INS spokesman, defended the agency’s public information effort, noting that the INS has sponsored public meetings throughout the nation and is about to start a series of radio and television advertisements.

“It’s been a monumental campaign,” Flanders said.

However, critics said Tuesday that much of that information had failed to filter down to the illegal alien community, where there is still widespread confusion and considerable fear about the amnesty process. Officials of the nonprofit groups said that, in desperation, many illegal aliens are turning to unscrupulous immigration lawyers and “consultants,” who charge exorbitant fees for specious counsel.

“People are, in a sense, panicking,” said Rev. Douglas Regin, executive director of Catholic Community Services for the Catholic Diocese of San Diego. “They don’t want to miss this window of opportunity.”

In San Diego County, Regin said, as many as 25,000 people may apply for amnesty under the new law.

The law states that illegal aliens who can document that they have lived continuously in the United States since 1982 may be eligible for legalization. Other, more liberal rules apply for foreign agricultural workers who have done field work in the United States.

In an effort to deal with the expected rush of amnesty applicants in San Diego, the coalition here has taken on a number of tasks, including:

- The coordination of low-cost legal services. Officials hope to recruit the participation of as many as 75 attorneys under the auspices of the San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program, a free legal service that is co-sponsored by the San Diego County Bar Assn., the Legal Aid Society of San Diego and the University of San Diego Law Center.

- The implementation of a grass-roots public education campaign at churches, neighborhood meeting centers and other areas accessible to the illegal alien community.

- The publication of a directory of nonprofit services offering amnesty assistance.