The Abridged version:
- Deportation fears are seeing more people seek professional help with their immigration cases, even if it means not working with a licensed attorney. Advocates warn that scams targeting immigrants are on the rise.
- A pair of lawyers called the Immigrant Rights Defense Council is suing three immigration consultant firms, accusing them of overstating their credentials to clients.
- The Sacramento region has 78 active immigration consultant firms. They can provide translation services and file documents for their clients, but cannot represent their clients in court or give legal advice.
A string of immigration consultant businesses in the Sacramento region are facing accusations of fraud.
Last month, a pair of lawyers called the Immigrant Rights Defense Council accused three firms of misrepresenting themselves as lawyers. The claims arrive as immigrant rights advocates and the California attorney general have warned of rising scams targeting immigrants.
Sebastian Medvei, one of the attorneys behind the Immigrant Rights Defense Council, has been filing lawsuits across the state against immigration consultants, accusing them of going outside their scope of practice.
In the Sacramento region, Medvei filed lawsuits against Professional Immigrant Services, Filatova Immigration Consulting and Manning & Sutfin.
Practice scope, advertising cited
All three lawsuits allege that the consultant firms engaged in “unauthorized practice of federal immigration law” and that their advertising fails to state clearly that they’re not attorneys. The lawsuits also allege that the businesses refer to themselves as “professionals and experts,” despite not having law degrees.
In an email interview, Medvei said that unauthorized non-attorneys practicing immigration law is “akin to unlicensed and untrained individuals performing surgeries or flying commercial airplanes.”
“The harm that ‘immigration consultants’ inflict on immigrants and their families cannot be overstated,” Medvei wrote.
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Medvei alleged that many consultants charge substantial fees for form preparation and consultant fees that can be “comparable or higher” than immigration attorney rates.
“Botched immigration forms also leave immigrants vulnerable to deportation, tearing apart families after they have lost years of hard-earned savings,” Medvei said.
Sacramento region has 78 immigration consultant firms
The four-county Sacramento region has about 78 immigration consultants who are active and registered with the state. Statewide, the number of firms jumped from 422 in 2024 to 533 in 2025, according to state data.
Immigration consultant firms operate in a limited capacity. The businesses are barred from providing technical legal advice and cannot represent clients in court, but they can provide translation services and submit forms on behalf of their clients. For some, it’s better than attempting to navigate the immigration system alone.
Immigration enforcement spikes demand
“There’s an increase in demand for (immigration consultant’s) assistance because this president has turned up the heat on immigration enforcement,” said Kevin Johnson, immigration law professor and former dean of the UC Davis School of Law. “He has many people terrified and scared of ending up in removal proceedings.”
These firms can vary widely, Johnson said. Some clearly note that they are not attorneys and can only provide limited services, while others purport to be a “notario,” a title given to powerful attorneys in many Spanish-speaking countries. Services can also be significantly cheaper than those from an attorney.
“It’s a tough situation … you want to create avenues for legal assistance that people can afford,” Johnson said. “At the the same time you dont want them to be exploited.”
The firms are also required to register with the California secretary of state’s office and pass a background check. Firms also must secure a $100,000 surety bond — collateral in case a firm is sued for fraud or caught in a malpractice lawsuit.
Johnson said that the surety bonds don’t always cover the true damages of flawed immigration consulting, however. The consequence of misfiled paperwork or incorrect legal advice doesn’t just mean lost finances, it can lead to deportation.
“Access to money isn’t what they want,” Johnson said. “It’s staying in the country.”
Accused firm hasn’t been active with state authorities since 2006
One of the firms facing a lawsuit, Manning & Sutfin, has not had an active registration in California since 2006.
California’s attorney general filed a restraining order against Manning & Sutfin in 2004 for operating as an immigration consultant without surety bond. Records with the secretary of state’s office show that Elizabeth Sutfin’s registration expired in 2006. Co-owner Fhozia Manning has never been registered as an immigration consultant, according to public records.
Manning & Sutfin did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Yelp and Google reviews appear to show that the business is still active, with reviews for the firm appearing within the last year.
Two immigrant consulting firms deny allegations
Thomas Muro and his wife, Naida, have run their immigration consultant firm Professional Immigration Services in Arden-Arcade since 2002.
“We were shocked when we got the lawsuit,” Muro told Abridged.
He denied the allegations in the lawsuit and said that some of the allegations came from statements that are on his website describing him as a former supervisory immigration officer. Muro said he previously worked with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security before founding his firm.
He noted that his business has a statement on its website stating that it is not a law firm. He said that other consultants in the Sacramento region operate illegally and don’t register with the state.
“We try to follow the rules and try to follow the regulations and still end up here,” Muro said.
Nataliia Filatova also denied the claims made in the lawsuit against her firm. She founded Filatova Immigration Consulting in 2024 and predominately works with the Ukrainian community.
Filatova said she has the proper registration with the state and provides clear contracts to her clients.
“I hope you just consider what my clients have to say,” Filatova said.
Refugee nonprofit seeing more clients targeted by scams
“Unfortunately (immigration fraud) is way more common than you would hope,” said Jims Porter, spokesperson with Opening Doors, a nonprofit that works with refugees in Sacramento.
Porter said Opening Doors’ attorneys are seeing increasing cases of fraud, especially when clients come to them seeking a second opinion on their immigration paperwork. In one case, a client received a green card but was told to pay $5,000 for the consultant to release it to them. Another time, a client paid a consultant hundreds to file paperwork with federal authorities but later found there was no record of the forms being filed, Porter said.
Immigration courts and asylum systems were already strained before the Trump administration came into power, Porter said.
“Now, because of the new restrictions and terminations of humanitarian status, and the mass deportation effort, the sector is even more strained,” Porter said.
For pro bono organizations like Opening Doors, waitlists can stretch from one to three months to secure an appointment, depending on how complicated a case is, Porter said. That places people seeking quick relief with their cases in a difficult position.
“When you’re in crisis and you’re afraid of being detained, it’s more sensitive,” Porter said.
Attorney general warns of increasing fraud against Latino communities
California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued an alert last June about increasing notario fraud among immigration consultants.
“Immigrant communities are experiencing fear and uncertainty as a response to President Trump’s inhumane and destructive immigration agenda,” the attorney general’s office said in a written statement provided to Abridged.
“When folks are facing the prospect of losing their livelihoods and being separated from their families and communities, people may become vulnerable to fixes that sound too good to be true,” the attorney general’s office stated.
The attorney general’s office said it could not confirm or deny whether it is currently pursuing legal action against any immigration consultants.
The Sacramento district attorney’s office said it is not currently pursuing any cases related to notario fraud or immigration fraud.
Felicia Alvarez is a reporter at Abridged covering accountability. She’s called Sacramento home since 2015 and has reported on government, health care and breaking news topics for both local and national news outlets.