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.
French lawmakers voted to impose a 3 percent tax on revenues from digital services that reach French users that could leave U.S. tech giants like Facebook, Google, and Amazon facing a hefty new tax bill.
Billionaire progressive activist Tom Steyer who joined the 2020 race spoke with Cheddar about his focus on the avarice of big business and its undue influence.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Thursday, July 11, 2019.
The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security held a historic hearing on cannabis to tackle how best to reform laws regarding the controlled substance.
Acosta told reporters that new sex crime charges against hedge fund manager Jeffrey Epstein were welcome, but he defended his role in the previous case brought against the billionaire that ended in a reportedly sweetheart deal.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Wednesday, July 10, 2019.
The Third Strike Campaign aims to shed light on — and give a voice to — the real people that continue to suffer everyday from the “tough on crime” justice system and the mandatory sentencing guidelines under three strikes legislation.
Anthony Scaramucci, the outspoken investment banker and former White House Communications Director, criticized the Trump administration’s enduring trade disputes, arguing the tariffs ultimately hurt the American people.
California Sen. Kamala Harris and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg are the most formidable of the two dozen Democratic presidential candidates, according to Anthony Scaramucci.
The federal appeals court ruled President Donald Trump, when using his infamous @realDonaldTrump Twitter account, cannot block his critics, upholding an earlier court ruling.
