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.
President Trump is ramping up his attacks on the media. Did the White House time his latest barrage against the press to match up with the Senate election in Alabama? Our round table debates that topic and more in today's edition of "Agree to Disagree."
Todd Johnson, Managing editor at The Grio, and Jack Hunter, editor for Rare Politics, discuss the accusations of sexual harassment and assault against President Trump, as his accusers speak out for the second time.
For the past couple of months, there has been a windfall of sexual harassment and assault allegations coming out of Hollywood, Washington, the media, and more. Sue Jacobson is the co-founder of Jacobson Strategic Communications, and she joins Cheddar to explain why responding quickly in these situations is so important.
Between Bells brings you the latest political news, along with a few doses of business, culture, beauty, and tech.
Kim Davis made headlines two years ago for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples as the county clerk in Rowan County, Kentucky. David Ermold and his now-husband were denied one of those licenses. Now David is running against Kim Davis to be the next Rowan County Clerk.
One of the most-controversial Senate elections in history is heading into the homestretch. Elle.com's Mattie Kahn joins us with everything you need to know before the people of Alabama head to the polls.
Nick Johnston, Editor in Chief at Axios, and Nate Madden, CRTV's Congressional Correspondent, give a preview of the upcoming weeks in Washington, including a discussion about the women accusing President Trump of assault and the future of tax reform and budget agreements.
The Congressman told Cheddar that the proposed Republican tax bill benefits the one percent, hurts the middle class, and runs a $1.5 trillion deficit. He also says the reform is robbing the military.
David Ermold was denied a same-sex marriage license twice by the county clerk, who drew national headlines with her move. Now he's running for her seat in Rowan County, Kentucky, trying to change what he deems wrong.
Valeisha Butterfield Jones is the CEO of Women In Entertainment Empowerment Network, a former Obama Administration official, and a former Google executive. Jones gives her perspective on the moment of reckoning that Hollywood, media, and politics are experiencing amidst sexual misconduct allegations.
