Religious imagery and promises of impossible wins drew many undocumented immigrants to Alexandra Lozano’s Seattle law office. She marketed herself as “The lawyer of miracles,” claiming she could fix cases that seemed impossible. Her office featured Sacred Heart imagery and a Virgin of Guadalupe painting where clients lit votive candles. Lozano later stopped publicizing miracle claims after resigning her Washington law license to avoid disciplinary action. Multiple allegations followed, including misleading clients with false permanent-residence applications, charging exorbitant fees, initiating immigration processes she allegedly knew would fail, training staff to memorize deceptive scripts, and relying on a computer program without attorney review. The Washington Attorney General opened an investigation, and former clients sued, alleging illusory, negligent, and fraudulent services. Many promoted cases involved VAWA petitions, which are intended to help domestic violence victims obtain immigration benefits without relying on abusers, but accusations include false or exaggerated information supporting those petitions.
"Two red hearts stood out on her fitted dress, one over her chest and another at the throat, similar to those in images of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In the entryway to her office in Seattle, Washington, there was a large painting of the Virgin of Guadalupe, next to which her clients lit votive candles to pray for their cases. These religious symbols were not chosen at random. Alexandra Lozano called herself The lawyer of miracles, an effective marketing strategy that drew hundreds of anxious undocumented immigrants living in the shadows to her law office."
"“I fix cases that are supposedly impossible to win,” Lozano promised in a Facebook video. A phrase that now rings hollow. Lozano has stopped boasting about delivering miracles: she resigned her law license last Tuesday, a move to avoid disciplinary action by the Washington State Bar. She faces multiple allegations: that she allegedly misled clients by filing permanent-residence (green card) applications with false information, charged exorbitant fees, initiated immigration processes she knew were doomed to fail, had staff memorize scripts to make deceptive promises, and devised legal strategies relying solely on a computer program without her or other attorneys at her firm reviewing the files."
"In addition, the Washington Attorney General's Office opened an investigation into her, while nine of her former clients filed a lawsuit alleging her services were illusory, negligent, and even fraudulent. Some say that because of Lozano's representation, they now face deportation proceedings. The allegations indicate that many of the cases Lozano promoted were based on the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), enacted in 1994 to allow victims of domestic violence married to U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents to obtain immigration benefits without depending on their abusers."
"However, Lozano is accused of submitting false or exaggerated information to support those petitions. VAWA is a way to fix papers through your family"
Read at english.elpais.com
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