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 state representative from Coral Gables, Fla., says now is the time for President Trump to prove he's a leader who can do things differently by banning bump stocks and improving background checks. And if he can't get Congress on board, he should sign an executive order.
The teenage survivors of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School are genuinely motivated to change gun control laws, says State Representative Jared Moskowitz. The Democrat from Coral Gables, Fla., says that if adults aren't able to get anything done, then we have to listen to our children.
Students across Florida -- and the nation -- held walkouts in solidarity with Parkland, Fla., Wednesday. The protests come one day after Florida House Republicans blocked a move by Democrats to debate a ban on assault weapons in the state. State Representative Jared Moskowitz (D-Coral Springs) explains the response inside Florida's Capitol to the student protests for more gun control.
On Between Bells: Talking to kids about gun violence, Dallas Mavericks under fire, restaurant servers fight tip-pooling laws, and more. With Eater, Parents Magazine, and Popular Science.
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In the aftermath of the Parkland mass shooting that left 17 dead and many more wounded, lawmakers are seeking solutions to prevent further tragedies. Cheddar spoke with RNC spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany about how Republicans plan to handle the controversial issue.
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