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.
The fallout from Facebook's latest data scandal continues to intensify. The Weinstein Co. officially files for bankruptcy protection after many attempts to sell the company failed. Josh Sternberg, tech editor for AdWeek, joins us to discusses how Uber moves forward after one of its driverless cars killed a pedestrian in Tempe, Arizona. And Bri Bauer from Dairy Queen brings ice cream cones to the trading floor to celebrate the company's National Cone Day. On the first day of spring, Dairy Queen gives customers free vanilla ice cream cones.
The fallout from Facebook's latest data scandal continues to intensify. The Weinstein Co. officially files for bankruptcy protection after many attempts to sell the company failed.
"Content is king, and pipes are commodities." That, in a nutshell, is why the wireless giant wants to join forces with the content creator, explains Ben Gomes-Casseres, professor of International Business at Brandeis International Business School. The DoJ is seeking to block the merger, citing anti-trust issues, and the trial will kick off on Wednesday.
Facebook is in hot water again after revelations that a data firm gained access to information from millions of users without their knowledge. Apple is reportedly developing its own display screens. Russian President Vladimir Putin was re-elected again by an overwhelming majority. Plus, Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant talk about season two of their Netflix show, "Santa Clarita Diet."
"Simple contract law" dictates that once a deal has been signed, sealed, and delivered, it cannot be rewritten, says former prosecutor Jonna Spilbor.
A day after the UK expelled almost two dozen Russian diplomats, Moscow is poised to retaliate with "tit-for-tat expulsions of diplomats," says Jason Douglas, reporter at The Wall Street Journal. This diplomatic feud stems from the attempted murder of a former Russian spy and his daughter on British soil.
A month after the Parkland, Fla., shooting, students across the country walked out of classes to demand gun control. Eric Adams, the Brooklyn Borough President who organized a rally to coincide with the walkout, said this is the students taking a step into "the classroom of life."
Google is banning all ads related to cryptocurrency. Students across the country are walking out of class today to remember victims of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida. Kai Ryssdal, host and senior editor of Marketplace, stops by to talk about the upcoming 10 year anniversary of the financial crisis. And we're joined by the co-owner of McClure's, a company that specializes in making pickles.
Political consultant Rick Wilson says the way President Trump ousted Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with a tweet speaks volumes about the characters of the two men.
Rex Tillerson is out as Secretary of State and CIA director Mike Pompeo is in. President Trump issued an executive order blocking Broadcom's hostile takeover bid for rival chipmaker Qualcomm. Olympic gold medalist and author Scott Hamilton joins us to talk about his figure skating career and his new book. Plus, Kristen Scholer sits down with Brooklyn Decker and Whitney Casey at SXSW to talk about their start-up Finery.
