Emilio Gonzalez, the director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service is proposing an increase in the fees people pay to apply for citizenship and the fees paid for applicants for legal permanent residency. If the new fee schedule is approved the application for citizenship will go from $330 to $595 (an increase of just over 80%) and the application for permanent residency will be increased from $325 to $905 (an increase of just over 178%).
Mr. Gonzalez explained why these increases were necessary:
“We need to grow. We need to strengthen. We need to modernize. We need to provide the very best possible customer service. We need to provide the very best possible security infrastructure for what we do.”
Consider the immigrants here in the United States who are here legally (they have their “green card”) and are working at low paying jobs trying to save enough money to apply for citizenship so they can perhaps get a better job and feel like they are part of that fabled “American Dream.” This increase will certainly delay the attainment of that “dream” and may either give them the incentive to work harder or, in some cases, discourage them and cause them to stop trying. The extra $265 is not, however, an insurmountable obstacle for those with the determination to succeed.
Now consider the foreigner who had been hoping to come to America to get away from their country; they are, in most cases, looking for a place where they have more opportunity and more freedom and perhaps less poverty and corruption. Suddenly the cost just to apply for legal entry into the United States has more than doubled. The United States has provided them with a new incentive — for some this will be to work harder and longer until they get the almost $1,000 needed to apply but in far more cases we’ve given them a new incentive to find a way to get into the United States illegally and take their chances.
They’ve no doubt heard that there are always ways to get paid “under the table” for the work they do here and they certainly know that we have millions of illegals here who are surviving without getting caught and deported, and they’ve probably heard the success stories — those “Americans” who boast that their grandparents came here illegally and now two generations later all their grandkids are American citizens. You are sadly mistaken if you think that it isn’t very well known that if you “drop a baby” in the United States, that baby is automatically a U.S. citizen and that it increases the chances that the parents will be allowed to stay here. These future illegal residents also know that there is a large and powerful lobby at work here that argues, on a daily basis, that compassion for the “plight of illegals” should override our laws and negate the views of the majority of Americans who don’t agree.
President Bush has promised to get tougher on illegal immigration; do a new incentive for illegal immigrants to come here and a new deterrent from full citizenship for those immigrants here legally qualify as getting tougher?
Whatever your view on this issue, this is, as of right now a proposed fee increase and the Immigration Service is accepting public comments for two months.
Links:
Fox News: Steep Application Fee Hikes Proposed For U.S. Immigrants
Philidelphia Enquirer: Administration seeks steep rises in immigration fees
From the blogosphere:
Immigration Watchdog: Bush Administration’s Plans To Increase Immigration Fees Comes Under Attack
NCLR (Nat’l Council of LaRaza): NCLR EXPRESSES STRONG CONCERN WITH THE FEE INCREASE FOR IMMIGRATION SERVICES
Whymrhymer’s fresh perspectives on today’s news, as published here, also appear at My View from the Center and at The American Chronicle Family of Journals. Your visit is always welcome!
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2 users commented in " US Provides an Increased Incentive for Illegal Immigration "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackThe Government does’nt have enough resources allocated for immigration and border enforcements. These two organisations has to be self sufficient by raising funds through fees by INS , ICE on the other hand can impose huge penalities on employers who employ illegal immigrants. They can fine banks which are providing loans to Illegals , big corporates who rent their apartments to Illegals, employers who employ illegals, (Medical Services can be provided to those in utmost need) . This way both INS and ICE can raise funds. INS or USCIS can provide good management of Immigrant system and ICE can Enforce find and deportation of illegal immigrants.
It is idiotic to find a solution or thinking to find a solution through new laws. The already existing laws if implemented can bring good and excellent results. The Lobbyists, Lawmakers are just wasting their time
Always there will be illegal immigration. Amnesty will pave way for more illegals as it will send a strong signal that US government cant do any thing as it has provided amnesty to existing illegals and they would hope that new illegals will get amesty down the line.
Don’t provide bank accounts without SSN and Passports. Even they were able to get Fake SSN by stealing, they would’nt get Passport.
Bottom line, make illegals find hard ways to live in US. They would definitely go back on their own paying way which helps to slow down and complete eliminate Illegal immigration.
Make things hard for illegals. Let regular law enforcement check everything Low Income Job holder with details of SSN, Passport, Address, other required things
don’t waste time. Law makers has to spend their time on other important things. They are being paid 160K ( i believe). They have to make this economy strong with other things to do.
This is all a joke right? You’ve made American citizenship cheap (literally and figuratively). If you’re gonna let selfish criminals who forced their way into the USA, regardless of their reason, BUY their citizenship CHEAP, yes, cheap, the majority are paid under the table, all their living expenses are paid by tax payers.
International corporations and bankers say 12 million illegals spend more DOLLARS than 300 million Americans (on fun stuff). So don’t even try and tell us it’s hard on illegals to come up with money to pay the CHEAP cost of US citizenship.
Wake up!
Illegals are famous for crying about expenses, that’s why our stupid government gives them everything for free. They know if they cry loud and long enough, our government will give the poor selfish lying illegals 20 years to pay the small embarassing fee OR waive it completely (it’s embarassing and degrading for the USA).
Why give special treatment just to illegals? Since our government is proving our citizenship is CHEAP, cost just a few bucks and no need to have allegence, why don’t you advertise to the world no one has to qualify? Just bring a couple thousand dollars, no waiting and (illegals paid smugglers more than that) no questions asked and what used to be America, is YOURS!
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