Legal Help for Illegal Mayan Immigrants
The recent guerrilla war in Guatemala, combined with the very depressed Guatemalan economy due to the collapse of the international coffee market, has driven hundreds of thousands of Mayan Indian refugees to the United States. There they are often ruthlessly exploited and held in conditions of near-slavery by agribusinesses. Even where they can obtain fair employment they live in constant fear of denunciation and deportation, especially since the recent immigration law enacted by the present administration. However it is now possible for illegal immigrants to ask a legal question online. People who heretofore had nowhere to turn can now consult with an internet lawyer from any library or public internet facility.
There are now websites that enable even the poor to consult with an online immigration lawyer no matter where they live or work. This promises to bring great benefit to people who heretofore were helpless and apprehensive about revealing their plight to persons in authority. The anonymity of the internet serves as a protection for people who, because of their history of oppression by the system, have become suspicious of authority in any form. People who need help can receive an answer to an email legal question or obtain other online legal services without identifying themselves personally. This enables those who have been persecuted and victimized to seek aid without fear of reprisal or deportation. Necessary legal forms are also available online for those who need them.
Unlike the closed-door policy and repression which characterizes present-day governmental policy, online immigration law fulfills the dream of freedom for all which brings helpless refugees to America’s shores.