Immigrants Invited to Renew Documents

Immigrants who failed to renew their resident alien cards have another chance to update them.

On Thursday, agents from the Immigration and Naturalization Service will process as many as 500 resident aliens at the East Valley Multipurpose Senior Center in North Hollywood.

Geneva Ruiz-Hyatt, the center’s assistant director and program coordinator for immigration processing, said that due to the large number of immigrants who missed the March deadline, the INS will occasionally set dates to renew cards without penalty.

Without a new resident alien card, immigrants will be ineligible to receive government assistance, get a new job or leave the country without facing the possibility of being denied entrance into the United States, Ruiz-Hyatt said.

“It’s OK if you missed the deadline, just come and get it done,” she said.

Many immigrants have been afraid to leave their homes for fear of being put in jail or deported by INS officials, Ruiz-Hyatt said. Others fall prey to cunning lawyers who say they can process the cards for steep prices, she said.

“It’s awful. It’s terrible,” Ruiz-Hyatt said. “Those piranhas are taking advantage of people.”

To get processed, resident aliens must have two photographs that meet INS specifications, the appropriate paperwork and $75. INS officials will fingerprint individuals and get their signatures during the process.

Appointments are necessary. For further information, call the East Valley Multipurpose Senior Center, 5000 Colfax Ave., at (818) 766-5165.

On May 16, the San Juan Macias Orientation Immigration Center, at 13672 Van Nuys Blvd. in Pacoima, will also have INS officials available to renew cards. For information on the Pacoima center, call (818) 896-1156.