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. 

Share:
More In Politics
Pence's Ex-Press Secretary: Omarosa's Recording Is a 'Violation'
Marc Lotter, former press secretary to Vice President Mike Pence, says Omarosa Manigault Newman's decision to record a conversation with White House Chief of Staff John Kelly in the Situation Room was a violation "of every protocol [and] procedure." He also says allegations in Manigault Newman's book contradict the former "Apprentice" contestant's previous statements about President Trump.
'BlacKkKlansman' Debut Triggers Memory of Charlottesville Riots
Spike Lee's "BlacKkKlansman" opened nationwide on Friday, on the eve of the anniversary of the Charlottesville riots ー and that's no coincidence. The movie recalls the true story of Ron Stallworth, a black Colorado Springs police officer who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan in the 1970s.
Sen. Gillibrand: 'Pink Wave' Can Carry Democrats in November
In an election year when a record number of women are running for Congress, one of New York's two Democratic Senators says women voices ー and their votes ー "couldn't be more important." Senator Gillibrand also told Cheddar's Hope King that women should lead the opposition to Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court.
Despite Ethics Allegations, Wilbur Ross's Cabinet Job Seems Safe
Allegations that Wilbur Ross stole millions from colleagues and employees may not cost him his job as Secretary of Commerce, says Dan Alexander, the Forbes writer who reported on Ross's business dealings. "I don't see him as somebody who is likely to step down because of embarrassment or anything like that," Alexander says.
GOP Strategist Rick Wilson: Trump Is 'Electoral Poison'
Rick Wilson, GOP strategist and author of "Everything Trump Touches Dies," believes the Democratic Party could have a solid midterm election season. An endorsement by Trump for Republican primary candidate is "magic," he said. But in a general election, "it's a boat anchor around your neck in deep, deep waters."
Democratic Congressman: GOP Running on Xenophobia
Rep. Darren Soto of Florida says Republicans are running a campaign "on fear and on division" because President Trump's policies have failed to address voters' economic insecurities. GOP candidates pushing xenophobic immigration policies are trying to "scare people to the ballot box," Soto says.
Load More