It seemed too good to be true. And it was, according to prosecutors in the Queens district attorney’s office.
Mr. León and his wife are among at least 120 illegal immigrants in the New York region, most of them Ecuadoreans, who the authorities say were defrauded out of a total of nearly $1 million by Mr. Gonzalez, 56, and two accomplices who were arrested in March and April. The authorities say it was one of the region’s largest cases of immigration fraud in recent years.
Mr. León, 26, a Roman Catholic, still finds it hard to believe that a man of the cloth would lie to them. “For someone who talks so much about God,” he said, “why did he play people like that?”
There would be fewer illegal immigrants and fewer scams if we just increased the number of people (especially from the Western Hemisphere…after all, they are neighbors) who can come here *legally*. I don’t suppose either of our major political parties wants to address this issue.
The immigration system does need to be overhauled, however, letting more people in is not necessarily a good answer. Especially in times of financial crisis when American citizens are out of work in record numbers (over 9% of the population, and that’s only those who are on the books!).
As to the ‘neighbors’ comment, remember the old saying, strong fences make for good neighbors.