October 27, 2006
Citizenship Changes Draw Objections
By DARRYL FEARS
The Bush administration is considering proposals that would make
it tougher
for legal immigrants to gain
The proposals being drafted by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
(USCIS), a division of the Department of Homeland Security, could nearly
double application fees, toughen the required English and history exams, and
ask
probing questions about an applicant's past, such as "Who is your current
wife's
ex-husband?"
In an interview yesterday, a USCIS spokesman said the contemplated changes
are necessary to pay increased administrative costs and to standardize an
application that is subjective and varies across the country.
But immigration rights advocates say the changes would amount to a second
wall, a potential barrier against legal immigration that is as formidable as
the
newly authorized southern border fence is supposed to be against illegal
migrants.
Changes in the citizenship application process are being contemplated amid a
contentious debate over whether the federal government should undertake a
comprehensive reform of immigration policy that includes establishing a guest
worker program, or just build a barrier along the Mexican border and adopt a
get-tough policy toward illegal immigrants and companies that employ them.
Throughout the debate, however, opponents of illegal immigration have said
their
quarrel is not against immigrants who are in the country legally.
Groups such as the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights said
that a near-doubling of the $400 application fee is being considered, and that
the new fee would be more than legal residents who earn a minimum wage can
pay. "It's going to take twice as long for those people to save up money
to apply
for citizenship," said Fred Tsao, policy director for the coalition.
"You
won't have Mom, Dad and children all going to the citizenship ceremony
together.
You'll have Mom going first, then Dad, then maybe the children."
Chris Bentley, a spokesman for Citizenship and Immigration Services, took
issue with the coalition's talk of a twofold fee increase.
"A fee review is underway," Bentley said, "but no decision has
been reached.
I don't know how they came about that." He did not rule out the
possibility
that the fee could double, saying: "When we do the final analysis, we're
going
where the math takes us. We have to recoup the costs of processing these
applications." Bentley noted that Congress does not appropriate money to
pay the
costs of processing citizenship applications.
The citizenship agency handles about 6 million to 7 million
citizenship-related applications each year. About 1 million of those are N-400
applications
from immigrants hoping to become naturalized American citizens.
A deluge of requests this year and last contributed to a daunting backlog of
nearly 4 million applications. USCIS reported this summer that it whittled the
number to about 40,000, saying it was not responsible for millions of
applications that were filed improperly, had unpaid fees or awaited FBI
background
checks.
Bentley said the agency's chief financial officer is expected to complete his
report and fee recommendations by the end of the year. Around the same time,
the citizenship office is expected to complete its recommendations for
standardizing the written and oral English examinations that are required for
citizenship.
The office might also replace questions such as "What are the colors of
the
flag?" Bentley said, to "What is one of the fundamental principles
protected by
the Constitution?"
In recent days, concerns arose about another test -- for DNA samples.
Immigration officials use the tests to verify the paternity of immigrant
parents who
apply to bring their children to the
But lawyers recently complained that officials are starting to require the
tests -- about $800 each -- even when the relationships are strongly documented
by paperwork.
Immigration advocates say the costs to immigrants keep piling up. They said
USCIS Director Emilio T. González seemed unsympathetic, and perhaps
insensitive, when he said: "American citizenship is priceless. I think people
will pay."
"It was a ridiculous statement," Tsao said.
Bentley stood by the statement of his boss, an immigrant from
naturalized citizen himself, he feels his citizenship is priceless,"
Bentley
said. "It's the greatest benefit our country can bestow, and it's a
one-time fee
to be a part of the greatest country in the world."