Those who dream of citizenship are pushing for comprehensive immigration reform as immigration lawyers prepare to see a surge of clients in the coming weeks.
Ayuda Executive Director Jaime Farrant told News4 phones are ringing off the hook at their northwest D.C. location.
"We had a week where we tracked more than 100 calls in one week, just on this bill," Farrant said.
His company received a similar amount of business in the late 1980s when El Salvadorians were granted temporary protected status. Farrant said the passage of immigration reform this year will likely lead to even more business.
"I am the mother of three citizen boys that are teenagers who we are living with in the hope that with immigration reform, I can enter in that way," undocumented immigrant Evelyn Hernandez said.
Just as there's hope for undocumented immigrants, there's also those who make false promises for big bucks.
"People hear that people have to get in line and people say, 'Well if you pay me now, you can get in front of the line,'" Farrant said. "People are actually paying when that's absolutely a lie. It's a fraud."
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The Senate is set to vote on the bill next week.
