SANTA ANA, CA (AP) -- Immigrant rights advocates expressed outrage over two new rules going into effect in the waning days of the Bush administration.
One new rule affects how immigrants are represented in deportation cases; the other mandates DNA tests for detained immigrants.
Attorney General Michael Mukasey's ruling Wednesday follows a series of incidents in which immigrants ordered by a judge to leave the country sought to reopen their cases by citing poor legal representation.
Immigration attorneys say the rule threatens immigrants' right to a fair hearing in a community already vulnerable to fraud.
Los Angeles immigration attorney Nikhil Shah says he almost lost his chance at a green card because he was misled by a paralegal who pretended to be an attorney and failed to properly submit his paperwork. The Indian native says he could see how easily an immigrant who didn't speak English or know the law could get into trouble in court.
But Center for Immigration Studies Executive Director Mark Krikorian says immigrants need to take responsibility in choosing an attorney.
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