MODEL BILLS

Prevent Extortion from Immigrants Act

Summary: The Prevent Extortion from Immigrants Act specifies that an attempt to obtain money, property, labor, services or anything of value from a person based on a threat to notify law enforcement about any person’s immigration status is guilty of extortion.

 Source: Maryland HB 493 enacted May 2016

California, Colorado and Virginia have enacted similar laws. For a discussion of the Maryland law, click here.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE

This Act shall be called the “Prevent Extortion from Immigrants Act.”

SECTION 2. PURPOSE

This law is enacted to prevent fraud and misunderstanding through the use of terms that, in a language other than English, suggests that a person is a lawyer or may act as a legal advocate.

SECTION 3. NOTARIO FRAUD PREVENTION

Bill drafting note: After section XXX, the following new section XXX shall be inserted:

NOTIFICATION OF LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS ABOUT ANOTHER PERSON’S UNDOCUMENTED OR ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION STATUS.

Bill drafting note: The complete extortion law would read something like this:

EXTORTION

A person may not obtain, attempt to obtain, or conspire to obtain money, property, labor, services, or anything of value from another person with the person’s consent, if the consent is induced by wrongful use of actual or threatened:

(1) force or violence;

(2) economic injury;

(3) destruction, concealment, removal, confiscation, or possession of any immigration or government identification document with intent to harm the immigration status of another person; OR

(4) NOTIFICATION OF LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS ABOUT ANOTHER PERSON’S UNDOCUMENTED OR ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION STATUS.

SECTION 4. EFFECTIVE DATE

This law shall become effective on July 1, 20XX.