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.
Andrew Yang wants the U.S. to create useful rules for cryptocurrency businesses and projects now, rather than playing catch-up after another jurisdiction has already done it. He recently layed out his vision for a national framework on cryptocurrencies.
The social media company is worried its Chinese roots could get in the way of growth opportunities and is now considering ideas like moving operations to Singapore and rebranding the app in the U.S., according to a report.
The CEO of ad cybersecurity firm CHEQ, Guy Tytunovich, told Cheddar that "fake news" is a "major, major problem" costing people control of their lives globally.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know.
While grassroots support is nothing new, the online nature of Yang supporters shows how outsider campaigns with less infrastructure leverage technology and online spaces to get noticed.
The surprise rejection of Amazon Web Service's bid on October 25 raised eyebrows because the company had appeared to be the frontrunner thanks to its extensive experience with cloud computing.
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow made remarks that predict phase one of a trade deal with China is nearing completion, though the president has yet to signal his approval.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Friday, November 15, 2019.
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) told Cheddar that the Republican lead counsel, Stephen Castor, was tasked with an impossible job.
President Trump thanked Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a joint press conference for working closely with the U.S. on several Middle East issues while noting the "challenges" created by Turkey's purchasing of Russian military equipment.
