Tampa Bay News
Yordanka Rumayor said she paid $18,000 to an immigration service in Tampa that promised temporary permits or humanitarian parole and legal representation for her family. But the paperwork, she said, was never filed.
María Victoria Abio La Rosa said she paid the same service $15,000 for applications for herself, her husband and her son. After months of believing their legal struggles were over, she was told by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services that her family remains in limbo.
The two Cubans, who crossed the southern border with their families in recent years, are among a long list of immigrants who said they trusted Dayana Barreto García and her Tampa firm, García SM Immigration Service, to help them secure documents and visas.
Barreto García, 43, who also operated businesses under the name Dayana García, offered a range of immigration services, including handling legal paperwork for work permits and green cards.
She promoted herself on social media platforms with photos, videos, and flyers. She sponsored local music events for the Cuban community and job fairs in Tampa Bay. People called her “licenciada” or “doctora,” titles that in many Latin American countries imply she was a lawyer.
But according to the Florida Bar, she was not.
A dozen former clients described incidents to the Tampa Bay Times in which Barreto García misrepresented her qualifications, filed incorrect paperwork, or assured them their cases were active when they apparently weren’t. Combined, they said they paid her more than $140,000 or services that they claim were not rendered.
“She spoke with confidence and was convincing,” said former client Dariel López, 34.
Barreto García’s alleged practices, which have ensnared dozens of mostly Cuban immigrants from around Florida, were reported last year to the fraud unit within U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, according to a lawyer representing six alleged victims. A spokesperson for the agency, citing federal policy, declined to confirm the existence of an investigation.
The Florida Bar confirmed that it is investigating whether García has practiced law without a license, according to a spokesperson for the organization.
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