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Q&A
DCWP outlines tools needed to combat immigration services fraud
1:37:54
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140 sec
DCWP representatives discuss the tools and strategies needed to effectively address immigration services fraud. They emphasize the importance of community engagement and collaboration with various stakeholders.
- DCWP stresses the need for people to come forward with complaints quickly
- The agency highlights the challenge of catching 'fly-by-night' operations
- DCWP emphasizes the importance of building sustained, trusting relationships with communities
- The agency calls for collaboration with City Council members and their staff to build stronger cases
Alexa Avilés
1:37:54
Okay.
1:37:55
And in terms of I guess I'd like to know from your perspective what are the tools that you think you need in order to maximize this work, to address this issue?
Vilda Vera Mayuga
1:38:13
Thank you for asking.
Alexa Avilés
1:38:13
To address many of these issues.
Vilda Vera Mayuga
1:38:15
Yes, yes.
1:38:16
I really think when it comes to immigration service providers, we just really need people to come forward.
1:38:23
We really struggle getting complaints in so that we can look into them.
1:38:28
And then from there, really have a better sense of where we're getting stuck in terms of moving an investigation forward.
1:38:35
But we really have a hard time getting individuals to let us know what's happened to them quickly because as we said, and you know I know that all of you know this as well, these fly by night operations are very difficult to catch especially if there's too much time that goes from the moment that the action took place to the moment that we find out about it and get enough information to move it forward.
1:39:05
So I'll start with that and pass it over to Mike Tiger for follow-up.
Michael Tiger
1:39:09
Yeah, everything, I agree with everything the commissioner said of course.
1:39:13
But also this really is an all hands on deck.
1:39:17
I think we all recognize this from all the different government stakeholders that we should be working together.
1:39:22
And so I think the biggest thing is beyond even resources, beyond what's going on in individual investigations, building sustained trusting relationships in different communities.
1:39:34
And that's where the council and individual members can really be invaluable and your staff can be invaluable in building that report, sending people to us that we can build up investigations.
1:39:46
This was mentioned before, but we actually had successful case against, in the Horizonte case at Oath last year.
1:39:52
And that was, we worked hand in hand with Council Member Juan's staff to build up that case.
1:39:57
And that was very helpful.
1:39:58
So I think if we all work together, I think that is like the most important thing to just have that constant drumbeat to build up the trust so people can build, so people can provide complaints, that we can do investigations.
1:40:13
And it becomes a virtuous cycle.