For people seeking work or an escape to a better life in the United States, it's going to cost about two times the current amount, following a move by the Trump administration to hike fees on various immigration applications.
Michelle Mendez, director of defending vulnerable programs at the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC), calls the move an assault on immigration.
"This rule, these fees that have increased will make it extremely difficult for individuals to become legal immigrants, specifically to become naturalized immigrants, to become citizens," Mendez told Cheddar.
The new fees, which are set to be increased in October, will also gravely impact the world's most at-risk populations seeking asylum in the U.S., Mendez added.
"$50 may seem to be a small fee for many of us. We have to understand that asylum seekers leave their countries, they flee their countries with practically nothing," she said.
While news of the increased fees may be looked on as damning, Mendez said the move is on par with the Trump administration's previous moves to eliminate "access to the legal immigration process."
"During the [presidential] campaign, the rhetoric was very much focused on illegal immigration. We knew that that actually meant they were going to attack illegal and legal immigration," she said.
For Mendez, the idea of increasing fees and making the process even more difficult for people who want to become American is a jab at the foundation upon which the country was built.
"When we limit the opportunity for people to be engaged in the process by being citizens, that really undermines our democracy. That really undermines our democratic process," she stated.
House Democrats handed the president one of his biggest legislative victories, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) to replace NAFTA, even as they announce articles of impeachment against him.
Stocks in the U.S. opened higher Tuesday, reversing pre-market losses after a report in the Wall Street Journal signified that American and Chinese negotiators were preparing to delay the next round of tariffs, scheduled to go into effect Sunday. The Journal cited sources close to the matter on both sides of the table.
House Democrats announced two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump Tuesday morning: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
The lawyers for both parties on the Intelligence Committee where the initial public hearings were held last month, had the opportunity to present findings from their respective investigations.
The company confirmed late Friday that it will move 1,500 employees into 350,000 square feet of space in a new building in the Hudson Yards development on the far west side of Manhattan.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Monday, December 9, 2019.
Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell said the House Judiciary Committee could be drafting the articles as early as next week, but while abuse of power is sure to be included, she is unsure if other articles, like obstruction of justice and obstruction of Congress, will be drafted.
From Wall Street to Silicon Valley, these are the top stories that moved markets and had investors, business leaders, and entrepreneurs talking this week on Cheddar.
Chris Walsh, founding editor and vice president, will take over at the start of 2020. Cheddar caught up with Walsh in advance of his new appointment to hear his thoughts on MJBizCon, vaping, cannabis politics, and the future of the industry.
The numbers crushed analyst expectations of 180,000. However, the strong numbers could make it unlikely the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates for a fourth time this year.
