County attorneys in Arizona will now be able to prosecute notaries public or “notarios” who offer fraudulent services to immigrants. Notaries must disclose to consumers that they cannot provide legal services regarding immigration, but there has a been a growing problem of public notaries using the language barrier to dupe immigrants.

In some countries, notaries can give legal counsel, but in the US these responsibilities are reserved for licensed attorneys, especially concerning immigration. Some immigrants misunderstand the title of a notary in the states, and they end up damaging their cases, losing money, and even being deported due to notary fraud by US agencies. A new bill targeting fraudulent notary publics exploiting immigrants will penalize these companies with fines.