Key facts
- Attorney Alexandra Lozano is accused of creating fake domestic abuse and human trafficking stories to apply for humanitarian visas for immigrants.
- Lozano allegedly charged tens of thousands of dollars to clients, leaving some at risk of deportation.
- She surrendered her law license and her firm, Luz del Camino Legal, has closed.
- Lozano's signature is reportedly on over 53,000 pending cases, with federal data showing a rise in immigration service scams.
- Former employees claim Lozano instructed them to fabricate details for visa applications.
An attorney in Washington state, Alexandra Lozano, is facing multiple lawsuits and a legal ethics investigation for allegedly defrauding tens of thousands of immigrants by creating fake stories of domestic abuse and human trafficking to apply for humanitarian visas.
According to the lawsuits, Lozano promised legal status but instead exploited immigrants' desperation, draining their bank accounts and potentially leaving them vulnerable to deportation. She is accused of hiring workers without proper credentials and implementing an assembly-line process for applications, even copying clients' signatures onto documents they never saw. One client, Gabriel Martinez Garcia, stated he paid $30,000, only for his mother to be placed in removal proceedings.
Lozano's firm, Luz del Camino Legal, closed this month, and she has permanently surrendered her law license, denying any wrongdoing. Her signature is reportedly on over 53,000 pending cases, and federal data indicates a sharp rise in immigration service scams.
Immigration attorneys note that the humanitarian visa programs, designed to protect victims from abusers, have flexible evidence standards that can be exploited. Lozano's firm allegedly spun clients' home or work issues into abuse cases that did not meet the threshold for these programs. While clients quickly secured work permits, they often encountered difficulties later when seeking permanent residency due to increased scrutiny.
Angelo Calfo, Lozano's attorney, stated that clients were expected to review their applications and blamed them for any false statements. He asserted that Lozano always fought zealously for her clients.
Investigations by the bar association and the fraud unit of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services are underway. Former employees have alleged that Lozano instructed them to invent abuse details for cases that were not genuine. Her former chief operating officer testified that the firm earned $1.7 million teaching its legal strategies to other law firms.