The USCIS Fee Increases: Another Front in the War Against Immigrants and its Efforts to End Migration

August 3, 2020, Chicago, IL  – Alianza Americas denounces the Trump Administration’s latest move in its relentless effort to end migration and keep people in fear. On Friday, July 31, the Administration announced its final rule with a dramatic increase in required fees for applications filed with the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS), that will take effect on October 2. In light of this new policy, Oscar Chacon, Alianza Américas’ executive director, issued the following statement:

“The increase in immigration-related application fees represents the latest attack by the Trump Administration against foreign nationals actively seeking to secure U.S. citizenship, legal permanent residency, or humanitarian protection in the U.S. The increase in fees represents an escalation in the war against immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers. One particularly repugnant change in the newly announced policy is the decision to charge asylum seekers to apply for humanitarian protection. Another disturbing change drastically cuts fee waivers for those who can’t afford processing fees. 

 

“The new fees will leave many Latin American and other immigrant families in the greatest need of protection even more vulnerable. making it impossible to apply for critical immigration benefits, risking deportation, and leaving them without the ability to regularize their status, and pursue U.S. citizenship via a naturalization petition in the future. This is particularly cruel in the context of the economic impact that Covid-19 has had on all workers, but particularly immigrant workers. In addition, this change is likely to be another voter suppression tactic, intended to effectively restrict U.S. citizenship to millions of permanent residency visa holders. Alianza Americas will continue to support the organizing of immigrant communities and its allies in order to bring about policy changes based on justice and equity, and in a manner that ensures that migration is an option and not a survival strategy.”

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Alianza Americas is the only transnational organization rooted in Latino immigrant communities in the United States focused on improving the quality of life of all people in the US-Mexico-Central America migration corridor.  As a network of Latino and Caribbean immigrants, Alianza Americas is working for change in the U.S. while also promoting a more stable, healthy, democratic and safer conditions in the countries of origin of their members.