Members of the New Hampshire Brazilian Council, an organization that provides free legal consultation and referrals to other services to Portuguese-speaking immigrants, are partnering with the new Brazilian Consulate delegation.
In the next few months, consulate staff from Boston will offer informational workshops to Brazilian leaders in the state about their services and programs.
Immigration attorney and New Hampshire Brazilian Council Director Bruno D’Britto said these workshops are much needed in his community.
“We have a history of being forgotten,” D’Britto said, “but we are optimistic that Brazilians in New Hampshire will find support in this delegation.”
One concern shared by both parties is the prevalence of scams targeting community members. D’Britto said some Brazilians are paying fraudulent companies for car insurance. He also said some people are taking advantage of those who are looking for consular services, like passports or birth certificates.
D’Britto said so-called notarios, or scammers who offer fast consular services in exchange for money, have targeted people in New Hampshire.
“They pay a lot of money, and, at the end of the day, they see it is not what it was promised,” he said.
D’Britto said his organization has consulted with the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office about these scams, but a spokesperson said no one had reported this type of scam so far. D’Britto said he thinks people do not know how to file those complaints.
The Brazilian Consulate is aware of this problem. To fight disinformation, they will train leaders in the community who can spread the word about the correct process. The partnership also plans to post videos with this information on social media.
“They could sit with them for five minutes and solve their problem,” D’Britto said.
Partnership members plan to meet with authorities in the southern part of the state, like Nashua’s mayor, to discuss how the city’s programs can be more diverse and accessible to the local Brazilian community. D'Britto hopes other Latino embassies join and do similar initiatives.
The consulate delegation also plans to meet with the New Hampshire Division of Motor Vehicles to discuss the possibility of opening a dialogue about offering licenses to undocumented people, similar to Massachusetts.
