As a national non-partisan organization, NALEO utilizes its network of more than 6,000 governmental, political, and business leaders to conduct civic engagement projects, training and technical assistance, and information dissemination on behalf of the
Latino community.
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Proposed Increase in Naturalization Fees Would Put
U.S. Citizenship Beyond the Reach of Nation's Newcomers
Latino Elected Officials and Community Leaders Can “Take Three Steps” to Fight the Fee Increase
On January 31, 2007, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a proposal that would increase the fees for starting the naturalization process
from $400 to $675, and the agency anticipates that it will implement the hike as early as June 2007. This increase would put U.S. citizenship beyond the reach of many of our nation’s
8 million legal permanent residents who are eligible for U.S. citizenship. About half of these newcomers are Latino.
The NALEO Educational Fund invites you to join in our advocacy campaign against the increase by taking three steps to fight the fee hike. As a Latino elected official or community representative, your leadership on this issue is important.
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Take 3 Steps to Fight the Fee Hike
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Submit a comment letter to the USCIS by
April 2, 2007:
It is critical that the USCIS hears from as many members of the public as possible about their opposition to the increase. We have provided you with a sample comment letter [click here] and instructions for submitting the comments [click here].
The agency must receive your comments by the deadline, so it is important that you send them in as soon as possible.
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Send in a letter in support for the Citizenship Promotion Act of 2007 (the “CPA”):
On March 7, 2007, Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) and U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) introduced the Citizenship Promotion Act into their respective chambers of Congress (S. 795 and H.R. 1379). The CPA would remove many of the obstacles in the path of legal permanent residents who are eager to become full Americans. In particular, it would freeze immigration and naturalization application fees at their current level, and explicitly authorize Congress to appropriate funds to supplement those fees to help cover the type of costs that the USCIS claims are largely responsible for the fee hikes, such as infrastructure investments, capital improvements, and business system upgrades.
[Click here if you would like more information about the CPA].
It is important that you urge your U.S. Senator and U.S. Representative to support the bill, and become a co-sponsor if he or she has not done so yet. [Click here for sample letters of support and information on how to e-mail them to your representatives].
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Pass a resolution in your jurisdiction or issue a statement opposing the fee increase:
We have provided you with materials to ensure that the voice of your jurisdiction or the community you represent is heard on this important issue. [Click here]
The following jurisdictions have either introduced or passed resolutions opposing the fee hike:
California State Assembly
City of Chicago, Illinois
City of Los Angeles, California
Miami-Dade County, Florida
City of Santa Cruz, California
Santa Fe School District, New Mexico
City of Watsonville, California
City of West Hollywood, California
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The NALEO Educational Fund is also working to inform, educate, and motivate
permanent residents to apply for U.S. citizenship by launching a U.S. Citizenship Hotline.
Callers may reach the hotline by dialing (888) Ve-Y-Vota. We have also initiated a U.S. citizenship campaign, “Ya es hora ¡Ciudadania!,” which you can learn more about at
www.yaeshora.info. We encourage you to promote our hotline among your constituents
and stakeholders, visit our website and share our information with your colleagues.
The USCIS intends to implement the proposed fee increase in some time in early
June 2007, and that date is approaching soon. We hope you can act now to
“take three steps” to fight this exorbitant fee hike, and help us ensure that
naturalization remains affordable for all of our nation’s newcomers. Thank you for
your participation in this important effort, and we look forward to continuing our work
together in the future.
Resources:
Contact Us:
Rosalind Gold
Sr. Director of Policy Research and Advocacy
Tel: (213) 747-7606, ext. 120
William Ramos
Director of Washington, DC Office
Tel: (202) 546-2536
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