Asylum Fraud in Queens: What Happened at La Jornada

Carmen Zurita, 50, fled Venezuela after a violent encounter with an armed paramilitary group. She arrived in New York and needed to file for asylum within 12 months of entering the US — a hard legal deadline. A community organization in Corona, Queens called La Jornada offered to help. According to a sworn statement Zurita filed with the New York Attorney General's office, La Jornada quoted her $600 for the asylum application. She paid $300 in cash as a deposit. No receipt was given. When she asked staff whether her application had been submitted, she says she never got a clear answer. She only learned about two mandatory government appointments — an immigration court hearing and an ICE check-in — through letters that arrived at her shelter. Nobody from La Jornada told her about them. "Nobody explained anything to me," she said. She attended both appointments alone.

More than one case

Zurita is not alone. The outlet Documented interviewed five immigrants and reviewed receipts and five sworn statements filed with the New York Attorney General. Clients say they paid between $300 and $1,000 for asylum applications and work permits (called EAD, or Employment Authorization Documents). Two of those immigrants told Documented that La Jornada never filed their asylum applications at all. A separate nonprofit legal organization in Queens said roughly 100 former La Jornada clients came to their offices looking for help. New York State Assemblywoman Catalina Cruz, a former attorney who represents Corona and other Queens neighborhoods, told Documented her office directly assisted 15 district residents who reported problems with La Jornada's services. Some received deportation orders and are now being helped by local nonprofit legal organizations. Cruz said her office started hearing these reports in the summer of 2024.

La Jornada founder Pedro Rodríguez told Documented he was unaware of dissatisfied clients. He said he would correct any situation if former clients gave him the chance. When Documented presented specific testimonies, he said he did not remember those cases. He acknowledged that he employed between one and three attorneys at a time — but admitted it was impossible for those attorneys to have handled the thousands of cases La Jornada claims to have managed. "If someone made a mistake, I am responsible," Rodríguez said. "That was never our intention." The New York Attorney General's office confirmed it is currently reviewing five complaints against La Jornada. The office's Charities Bureau also contacted the organization twice for failing to file required reports on time. Rodríguez told Documented that after the New York City Council passed legislation called Intro-980A in 2025 — which raised civil penalties for immigration service providers who break the law and requires them to post visible notices about what they can and cannot do — La Jornada now displays signs stating that staff are not immigration attorneys.

This situation reflects a broader problem. Between 2022 and 2025, approximately 237,000 asylum seekers arrived in New York City. Legal aid organizations were stretched beyond capacity. Many immigrants turned to whoever offered help — including people with no legal credentials and no authorization to represent clients in immigration court. New York City's Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) reported that complaints against immigration service providers doubled from 23 in 2022 to 46 in 2024. The agency warned the real number is likely higher because many people do not report harm. The American Immigration Council has found that having a lawyer in immigration proceedings significantly reduces the chance of receiving a deportation order.

What to do

• Check whether your asylum application was actually filed. You can call the USCIS Contact Center at 1-800-375-5283 or check your case status at uscis.gov using any receipt number you received. If you have no receipt number, that is a warning sign.
• If you paid an organization for immigration services and your case was not filed, file a complaint with the New York Attorney General's office at ag.ny.gov and with the NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) at nyc.gov/dcwp.
• If you received a deportation order because your asylum application was not filed, contact a nonprofit immigration legal organization immediately. Groups like the Jackson Heights Immigrant Center or local legal aid clinics may be able to help you reopen your case.
• Before paying anyone for immigration help, verify they are either a licensed immigration attorney or an accredited representative recognized by the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA). You can search BIA-accredited representatives at justice.gov.

What to do, step by step — see our guide “How to Apply for Asylum”.