Two families claim a local business is putting their immigration status at risk.

They say they paid thousands of dollars for help with work permits and legal status. Channel 5 News started looking into the business eight months ago and learned other families have filed lawsuits.

What started as a step toward U.S. citizenship has turned into months of questions for one McAllen family.

Channel 5 News is hiding the woman's identity for her family's safety. She will be referred to as Monica.

"I'm shocked because I can't believe that he would do this to so many people," Monica said.

She is speaking for her uncle who now fears deportation.

Monica says her uncle went to a business that promised to help with his citizenship application last October.

"He is here illegally, so he sought for help to get him his citizenship paper because he qualifies through family members," Monica said.

She said people her uncle trusted referred him to Ferrer Public Services in Pharr.

Monica shared receipts with Channel 5 News. They show her uncle paid the business $2,000 to prepare and file his citizenship application.

Monica says months went by and her uncle never received proof the application was filed.

"He told him he was going to get a letter in three months and we're still waiting," Monica said.

In June, Ferrer Public Services finally responded to Monica on WhatsApp. In those messages, she asked for a refund.

"So I messaged him on the [June] 15, no response. Saturday, he was going to contact me on Monday for the refund. Monday came, no response," Monica said.

Earlier this week, she received $1,000 through Zelle, only half of what her uncle paid. Monica claims Ferrer Public Services' owner Roberto Ferrer sent her the money.

"He was going to send me the other $1,000 on Wednesday. He never did, and I haven't heard from him since," Monica said.

Late Friday evening, Monica shared a message from Ferrer showing that after the Channel 5 News segment aired, he sent her the remaining money.

Channel 5 News went to the business' physical address on Nolana Loop in Pharr several times. Last week, during the morning and afternoon, every visit, the office was closed.

The news crew also checked the business' website and found it was no longer active. The station called the number attached to the business and no one answered.

Channel 5 News first heard about Ferrer Public Services in October. At that time, we spoke with another woman who said she was a client too.

She will be referred to as Celeste.

"Because this person deceived us, he defrauded us," Celeste said.

Celeste says after living in the Rio Grande Valley for more than a decade, she needed help applying for a work permit.

"I'll be able to work legally, and that's the dream, right? To be here, the American Dream," Celeste said.

Celeste said she paid the business $4,000 to apply for work permits for her husband, one of her sons and herself.

"He said, 'yes, you are eligible for a work permit. There is something called withholding of removal, and you are eligible because you have been in the country for more than 10 years and have American children,'" Celeste said.

In July 2025, Celeste received her work permit, but was still missing the permits for her son and husband.

She started having trouble reaching Ferrer Services, so she reached out to an attorney. That attorney found Celeste had a pending asylum claim, something she says she never applied for or wanted.

"Well, we are afraid because we are going to court, something we didn't know we were going to do because now we know what it was that we shouldn't have requested," Celeste said.

Now her family has to go to court for an asylum hearing. At last check, a court date is pending.

While looking into Celeste's case, Channel 5 News reached out to Ferrer Services last year. At that time, we spoke with owner Roberto Ferrer.

He said his customers knew what they were signing.

"I have, but when these people go and they apply for it, they signed a paper that states that they're asking for asylum. So, it's kind of hard for them to say they don't know what they were doing when they signed on what they're doing," Ferrer said.

Last year, Channel 5 News also spoke with local immigration attorney Gerardo Arriaga. He says he's representing several of Ferrer's former clients.

"What I've heard is that he would advertise about a work permit, but when people would come, he would file applications for asylum without telling the applicants. That is deplorable, that is terrible," Arriaga said.

According to Hidalgo County court records, there are two pending lawsuits against Ferrer.

Plaintiffs in both lawsuits claim Ferrer's business filed unauthorized asylum claims, putting their presence in the U.S. at risk.

Arriaga says his clients plan to take legal action.

"We're going to start filing a lawsuit against him with a temporary restraining order asking the courts to enter an order stopping him from doing what he's doing. You cannot give legal advice or you cannot give immigration advice if you're not an attorney," Arriaga said.

For Monica, her family has now been reimbursed, but she wants to protect others in similar situations.

"I want him to understand that you're not, like, there's no need for you to be doing this," Monica said.

For Celeste, it's about the uncertainty her family now faces.

"Those people just don't have a heart. I mean, I know several people who are going through the same thing, so I guess they're just in it for the money," Celeste said.

Watch the video above for the full story.