Crossing the Line for a Chance at Legal Status

Judy London, an immigration lawyer and advocate, agrees that targeting undocumented individuals is not a high priority for the federal government these days and, so far, none of the contestants of "Gana la Verde" has suffered negative consequences. But so far no one has gotten a green card, either. Even though pursuing individual immigrants is not a priority for the federal government, "we remind people they are potentially subject to arrest. In some instances, we are obliged to act," the immigration department's Kice said.

If Liberman Broadcasting wants to help its viewers, London suggests, it could begin by offering access to legal services to more of them.

"Legal help should not just go out to the winners of reality shows," said London, directing attorney of the immigrants rights project at Los Angeles-based Public Counsel. "Why not expand it and find some pro bono representation for everyone involved? There are agencies who provide free legal advice. We encourage people who are out of status to tell their stories because the leaders of this country need to know how many talented people are here and, through no fault of their own, are not able to achieve status, like the plight of high school students who we are in the process of trying to legalize so they can pursue higher education."

Carl Shusterman, a former INS prosecutor who is now an immigration lawyer in Los Angeles, said it's "unconscionable" for the show to use the real names of undocumented contestants because the information can be used against them, even if immigration officials are not inclined to watch the show.

"It's a bad idea, bad, bad idea to go on a show like this and tell the world about it," Shusterman said. "There's no way Channel 62 could guarantee that the immigration service isn't going to go after some of these people. What control do they have? And to put it mildly, eating live scorpions might not be a good idea in my view either, but who am I to judge?"