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.
CEO and Founder of Chat Sports James Yoder talks Trump and the thrilling NCAA Football national championship. Yoder says some fans were delayed getting into the stadium by as much as 45 minutes thanks to the President's presence. Traffic also came to a standstill in downtown Atlanta.
Rep. Adriano Espaillat says that the President is holding the livelihood of DACA recipients "hostage" to appeal to his base. "It's sad. It's something that's unprecedented."
Jack Hunter, editor of Rare Politics, discusses what an Oprah Winfrey presidency would mean for the future of U.S. politics.
President Trump spoke in Nashville on Tuesday at The American Farm Bureau Convention. This is the first time we have heard from the President since the release of White House tell-all "Fire and Fury." Washington Examiner media reporter Eddie Scarry, weighs in as Trump made comments.
Illinois state legislators are crafting legislation to help the state welcome innovation in cryptocurrency. Illinois state Rep. Michael Zalewski (D) explains the market opportunity he sees in this space.
Oprah Winfrey for President? Former U.N. Ambassador Samantha Power on Obama's final year, and the Golden Globes kick off a new chapter in Hollywood. With The Young Turks, Extra, Magnolia Pictures, CBN News, Red Alert Politics Dr. Evan Antin, and more.
After serving more than 40 years in the Senate, Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) will retire at the end of the year. All eyes are on Mitt Romney, who now has a clear path to the Senate, and the ambitions to get him there.
Former UN Ambassador Samantha Power says North Korea was--and still is--the "hardest problem in the world."
The state legislator, a Democrat representing the 23rd district, says that the technology offers the government a chance to "hold information in an individualized way."
Is Attorney General Jeff Sessions doing the legalization movement a favor by rolling back Obama-era policies? Red Alert Politics' Lauren Cooley, and Democratic Coalition's Jarad Geldner, join Cheddar to break down what the move means for the country's booming marijuana market.
