Democrats hit visa, citizenship fee raise

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Democrats yesterday said the fee increases for naturalized citizenship and visas proposed by the Bush administration amount to a "citizenship tax" and vowed to fight it, saying taxpayers should pick up the bill for many immigrants.

Some Democrats also proposed a means-tested type of system, where those with higher incomes would pay more for citizenship or other benefits.

"Many in the immigrant community see the increase for what it is -- increasing the cost of the American dream, telling those least fortunate among us they probably need not apply," said Rep. John Conyers Jr., Michigan Democrat.

He and fellow Democrats said the fee increases, proposed last month by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, will hurt poor immigrants and could force some of them to try coming to the country illegally.

"Don't you provide them an incentive to do an end-around and come here illegally?" Rep. Artur Davis, Alabama Democrat, told USCIS Director Emilio Gonzalez during a hearing held by the House Judiciary immigration subcommittee on the proposed increases.

But Democrats' options are limited. The proposed increases are in the form of an administration regulation, which means once they are tweaked and finalized by the agency some time this summer they will take effect unless both houses of Congress pass a measure blocking it.

The debate goes to the heart of the nation's legal immigration system.

USCIS' budget comes mostly from fees paid by those seeking a visa or citizenship, though Congress has appropriated some money to help with specific projects. Democrats, though, say it's time to consider changing that and having Congress spend money to cover general operations.

Mr. Gonzalez rejected that, saying a fixed appropriation would tie his hands while collecting fees allows him to be flexible -- if more people apply, he gets more fees.

He said immigrants will see almost immediate improvements in services with the higher fees, while without them the agency will return to the days with application backlogs in the millions.