As Trump Admin Continues Its Immigration Crackdown, Migrants Report Financial Abuse by Attorneys

Since the beginning of the second Trump administration in January, thousands of people in the United States have been seeking help from immigration attorneys as they try to support themselves or loved ones arrested by federal immigration agents.

And according to a recent investigation, many attorneys are taking advantage of the situation and the immigration crackdown to defraud people seeking legal help

One such case is that of a woman identified as Anabel, who spoke to El País under partial anonymity. She said she spent more than $15,000 on legal fees in an attempt to secure the release of her daughter, only for those efforts to fail. After eight months in custody, her daughter was eventually deported to Honduras.

Anabel told the outlet that in February, armed Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers broke down the door of her home while allegedly searching for a man. At the time, her daughter was taking care of three younger siblings. The officers searched the home and found their immigration documents. Anabel said they called her back from work and took both her and her daughter to a nearby Holiday Inn near the airport in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Anabel spent one week under detention, while her daughter remained in federal custody for eight months and was later transferred to the Stewart Detention Center in Georgia.

Anabel said she initially sought help from a well-known, award-winning attorney who also hosts a podcast offering practical immigration advice. She said the firm told her they would request a bond for her daughter, and she paid $3,000 to hire them.

"I had to take out a loan to pay that money. I thought everything was going well, but they were deceiving me and telling me my daughter would be released on bond," Anabel told El País. She added that on the day of her daughter's first hearing, the attorney sent by the firm appeared unfamiliar with the case. "She did not know who my daughter was, she did not know what she was doing, and she treated me terribly."

By the time of the second hearing, Anabel consulted other attorneys who told her that her daughter was not eligible for bond. "The attorney was only stealing from me," she said.

Anabel said she spent a total of $5,000 with the law firm. She then consulted another lawyer, who suggested that parole might be possible for her daughter and requested $7,000.

"That money was wasted. ICE rejected the parole request, and they knew from the start that Trump's rules meant it would not be accepted," she said.

In July, Anabel hired another attorney, paying $4,000 to file a habeas corpus request to seek a review of her daughter's case. After months without a response, her daughter asked to be deported to Honduras and signed her voluntary departure.

Anabel told the outlet that the attorney filed the habeas petition one week before her daughter made the decision to return to Honduras. "To this day she does not answer my messages or calls. I only wanted to know why she abandoned my daughter that way."

According to Rebecca Black Immigration Law, a firm based in Pennsylvania, deportation defense attorneys typically charge between $1,500 and $15,000 or more. A simpler case with one or two hearings and clear grounds for relief can cost several thousand dollars, while more complex cases involving asylum or cancellation of removal can easily reach five figures.

"I feel they are taking advantage of Hispanics right now," Anabel said. "If we do not know the law, they practically rob us."

The high cost of legal representation, combined with the uncertainty created by shifting immigration rules under President Donald Trump, has led fewer migrants to seek help from attorneys.

An analysis by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University found that since the start of fiscal year 2025, legal representation in immigration courts has declined. By April, about 38 percent of immigrants had legal representation, while roughly 62 percent did not.

Adding to the problem is the shrinking availability of pro bono attorneys. Earlier this year, the Trump administration cut funding for organizations that provide free legal assistance to migrants.

Aaron Ortiz-Santos, a partner at Taylor, Lee and Associates in Georgia, told El País that many attorneys accept cases only to later inform clients they cannot proceed, sometimes after collecting thousands of dollars.

"They take advantage of the community's lack of knowledge, because we know they are not prepared to understand these legal processes," Ortiz-Santos said. He added that there have also been reports of offices posing as legal professionals and issuing false documents.