Local media denounce corruption at the National Migration Institute
MIAMI, United States. - Cuban migrants stranded in the Mexican state of Chiapas have been ripped off by a so-called lawyer, who charged them up to 500 dollars each for the delivery of the visa that the National Migration Institute provides free of charge.
In declarations to the digital site Televisa.news, the Cuban Rafael Ocaña Reyes said that "the licensee Rita asks for a sum of 500 dollars and 500 for my wife, but I've already spent nine days without the salvoconducto. Ya no tengo dinero para comida, no tengo dinero para pagar renta, quiero llegar a Laredo porque allí están dando comida gratis".
El Heraldo de Chihuahua has reported that the lawyer Rita "N" is asking for the same amount of money and promising to deliver the rescues in two days, assuring her victims that she has contacts with the federal authorities.
Rita and other so-called lawyers operate both outside and inside migration regularization offices. They charge up to 1,500 dollars for advisory and traffic services, promising rescues in two days, compared to the 20 required by the migration authorities.
Según el periódico local, los abogados utilizan la figura de las autoridades federales para asustar a los cubanos y que estos paguen.
One of those affected said that "the lawyer threatened me right now, the only thing I know is that her name is Rita, but we're going to find out her full name, right now she just threatened me that I'm getting into a problem. She asks us for 1,000 dollars, if we don't give her the 1,000 dollars she won't give us the visa, she has contact with Migración".
According to the testimony of a Cuban woman named Elisa Hernández Díaz, after paying 500 dollars to the so-called lawyer, she asked for more money when Hernández went to collect the safe-conduct.
Source: Cubanet
English
Portuguese 
Italian 
Spanish