Washington State Attorney Surrenders License After Allegations of Filing Fraudulent Visa Applications

Washington state attorney Alexandra Lozano surrendered her law license this month after lawsuits alleged she filed thousands of humanitarian visa applications containing fabricated claims of domestic abuse and human trafficking. The suits state that employees in Colombia, Mexico, and Argentina handled client intake and prepared documents, and that clients were asked to sign blank pages while false statements were added later.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is also examining the filings, according to emails reviewed by The Associated Press. Lozano’s firm, Luz del Camino Legal, shut its doors on June 10.

The applications in question were filed under the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 and the Violence Against Women Act of 1994. Government data show domestic-abuse claims rose from roughly 15,000 in fiscal 2020 to more than 53,000 in fiscal 2025, while trafficking claims increased from about 1,000 to more than 37,000.

In December the immigration agency announced tighter eligibility rules and slower processing, citing the volume increase as evidence of possible fraud. Advocacy groups have said the restrictions may also affect applicants with valid claims.

Former client Gabriel Martinez Garcia said his family paid $30,000 and later learned his mother had been placed in removal proceedings despite her marriage to a U.S. citizen. Another client, Erika Sanchez, stated that an application submitted for her husband contained an allegation that his teenage daughter had abused him, a claim she said the family never reviewed.