Jay wrote on Feb 2, 2007 1:19 AM:Great! So people trying to immigrate legally have to pay more to make up for the losses of those who jump the fence with impunity. Sounds fair. If we had that system in 1900 or so I'd be living somewhere on the South Side of Dublin Ire. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.)

Too bad, so sad wrote on Feb 2, 2007 1:38 AM:Unfortnately, those who play by the rules are punished, this time with increased fees. But...why should there be any exceptions to this? Users should pay. We do. Just look at your property tax bills. Property taxes are an unfair tax not shared by all. Bring on the diaper tax, Border tax, I will support these to help defry the cost of illegal immigration. Bring on the new fees for citizenship. Also bring in citizens who are not poor, uneducated and criminal. Wouldn't that be a nice change.

Paul wrote on Feb 2, 2007 6:02 AM:What do the coyotes charge to escort illegals over the border?

GOOD wrote on Feb 2, 2007 7:34 AM:The should double it again. The last thing we need is more poor, uneducated immigranst leeching off taxpayers. If anything these fees will make them think twice about applying and they can just go home.

Broken Borders wrote on Feb 2, 2007 9:05 AM:Who cares whether the fees increase when the vast majority of immigrants choose to ignore the laws, don't or cannot fill out the paperwork and haven't the funds or patience to deal with the process? Consider the estimated number of illegal immigrants who are already in the US with the miniscule number of applications officially processed. Common sense tells you the system is broken!

Ed wrote on Feb 2, 2007 9:56 AM:Why does this even matter? Look around. Most of the "immigrants" around here haven't even bothered to come into the United States legally, much less thought of becoming a citizen...

I think anyone caught wrote on Feb 2, 2007 10:18 AM:living and or working in the United States ILLEGALLY should NEVER be allowed to become a US Citizen. Also NO ONE should be allowed to become a US citizen without speaking and reading and writing in ENGLISH and NO MORE ballots in foreign languages!!!

rightwing rob wrote on Feb 2, 2007 11:20 AM:Are these additiona; fees paying for a massive deportation?! God please!

rightwing rob wrote on Feb 2, 2007 11:20 AM:Are these additional fees paying for a massive deportation?! God please!

Poor Immigrants Should Pay Not Me wrote on Feb 2, 2007 11:24 AM:The Cost of Freedom has gone up! So why shouldn't the poor, rich whoever that is appliying for a green card pay the fees it COSTS to do the back ground checks etc. Why should I pay more taxes so that the poor and the (whole Family) come here to work. 1.1 Million Green Cards and 2.5 Million Temp. Visas why should they pay? SECURE THE BORDER and PAY THE FEES! GOD BLESS AMERICA

To I think anyone caught wrote on Feb 2, 2007 12:25 PM:You are absolutely right. Why is that concept so hard for the politicians and the immigrant right activists to grasp?

Ron wrote on Feb 2, 2007 1:26 PM:Hey, it's expensive being an American. Get used to it.

Ironic... wrote on Feb 2, 2007 1:55 PM:Why on earth would anyone want to be a citizen of the United States, paying taxes, free everything, above the laws, etc., when they can give us the bird and play for free? Tax FOOD bigtime!

Greg in Oceanside wrote on Feb 2, 2007 1:58 PM:Raising the fees is a "Catch-22." If foreigners know that it costs them too much to go through the process and pay the fees, they'll be more prone to sneak in. But, for those who do follow the rules and go through the process the correct way, they're penalized with higher fees. Even if the fees were tripled, or quadrupled, it's still a bargin for those who want to be an American citizen. Aside from the fees, there should be more requirements for citizenship, like English proficiency, law, history, and "customs and courtesy" classes before foreigners are sworn in as citizens. This will help ensure that they are committed to actually be a citizen and integrate into our society. Additionally, just like new employment, there should be a probationary period where new citizens need to be model citizens who don't get into any legal trouble. And, if these new citizens are ever convicted of a felony their citizenship could be revolked. This is a new world we live in and we need to be more selective of those who want to live here.

illegals wrote on Feb 2, 2007 2:37 PM:i own a construction company in san diego and illegals are stealing jobs from legal contracted and certified companies by undrcuting the bids that legal companies give, illegals are breaking the law by saying they have a contractors liscense and almost %100 dont even speak english let alone having the education to pass the tough contractors liscense test, which is an english test only, if they cant read, write and speak english then theres no way they have a liscense. we should have ice just drive around where new homes are being built and start busting illegals left and right. illegals who steal jobs dont have the skills to do a proper job and so within a year or so those people who had work done will be calling real contractors to come back and reedo most of the work that was poorly done, ive seen it 20 times at least. patrol areas where new homes are and you can bust tons of illegals and charge them with 10 different offenses starting with operating a company with no contractors liscenses, illegals workers, not reporting any money they get, the list goes on and on. when illegals start stealing from food from my families table im gonna report any company i think is a fraud and it perfectly legal for a legal contractor to do so. these people dont even belong here and there stealing from us and the local government looks the other way. im glad to see were finally going after the companies now and in a few years there all gonna be gone finally. illegals do more bad then good, look at the statistics such as hospitals, jails, crimes, %80 percent illegal.

Robert24 wrote on Feb 2, 2007 3:17 PM:Maybe this will help get the message across to those who have come here legally but yet support stupid marches like the Anti American Day Rally that was held last May 1. If you are here legally, it took work and expense, and you earned the right to be here, which should not make you angry about the new fees, but angry towards the millions who have come in illegally. The process takes time and money, and so many want to jump the line and not pay their dues. My Dad always told me "The things that are valuable take time and effort to get". This is true of citizenship in this great country. I still think the fee is too little, but at least it is a step in the right direction. Let's see how badly people want to be here, and make it an effort to earn that right.

Rag wrote on Feb 2, 2007 4:10 PM:It's shameful how much lack of understanding (or maybe just intentional ignorance) ppl tend to show whenever the word immigrant appears these days... maybe it brings all the latent racism out of the woodwork. 'The Cost of Freedom has gone up!" "Tax FOOD bigtime" ... what drivel. I just hope you don't really believe that and you're being just sarcastic. And the "uneducated immigranst" always cracks me up:) But enough of the funnies. Lets start some facts. First off, this article is about legal immigrants, about green cards and about becoming a citizens. How many of you have actually read it? How many know how tedious a process this is? How long it takes? How much it costs? Like for example that the 800$ for a permanent residency application is only a small part of what the immigration lawyers charge for the whole process? Do you know of the years long waiting lists for getting a green card even if you are qualified by education or skills? That after holding a green card you still have to wait 5 years before you can even apply for citizenship? Immigrating and becoming a citizen will probably run a bill in the order of 5000$ up, just for fees. So please stop dripping nonsense like that ppl coming here the legal way will be poor and steal your jobs. Also, please note that temporary visas are often used because a company can't find qualified workers here. Is it the fault of the visa applicants that there are millions of american citizens that are under-educated? :) And lets just hint on the fact that all those other people, those illegals, still get their social security deducted from their wages. Yet they rarely ever can draw any demands from it, since, duh, then there's a good chance that it would be noticed that they are here illegally. They use someone elses social security number, so the deposits their employer makes go to that account. This steady influx of money from people who will almost never get anything out of it keeps YOUR low social security payments covered. But maybe that's higher maths to you :)

Skip wrote on Feb 2, 2007 5:56 PM:The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services are so backlogged on what they are doing now. That is why I laugh when you hear talk of letting 12 million illegal Aliens have a chance at citizenship. There is no mechanism or agency, in place of even coming close to processing or doing background checks on the millions of new applicants. A general amnesty now would only backlog the process for years. The entire process would become a rubber stamp joke! And all because people broke our laws and came here illegally! They want what!

Minutewoman says wrote on Feb 2, 2007 10:50 PM:Another example of the Govt. going after the wrong group. Those that want to come here LEGALLY are expected to pay more to come here the LEGAL way. As the Govt. continues to reward the ones who come here ILLEGALLY. How the heck is this a solution. This will just create more of those who come here illegally. Duh! Register Independent and fire ALL REP. and ALL Dems. There all sooooooooooooooo retarded it makes my head spin!

Unbelievable wrote on Sep 7, 2007 5:23 AM:"Users should pay. We do. Just look at your property tax bills." Do you ever stop to consider for a moment that most likely the people being hit with these extra fees are already living and working in the United States? I pay my taxes, I pay my mortgage & property taxes and home owners. I also have a decent job which pays my income tax $s, social security, Medicare, FICA and whatever else there is to the US government. I just recently filed for residency and missed the increased fees, however I know how much of an addition financial strain this can be when trying to pay all of the other regular bills even on a modest income. If you research the fee structure of USCIS you will realize that many of the fees go to educational government sponsored programs so there will be less of a need for immigrant workers, so that is somewhat of a positive. "there should be a probationary period where new citizens need to be model citizens who don't get into any legal trouble..." For those who are under the impression that there isn't a probationary period for immigrants coming into the country are obviously ignorant of the legal process. It took 4 years before I was eligible to apply for permanent residence, it will be another 5 or 6 before I can file for citizenship (if I wanted citizenship). If I did commit any crimes (which I haven't and believe it or not most legal immigrants wouldn't) it would jeopardize the whole process. "i own a construction company in san diego and illegals are stealing jobs from legal contracted and certified companies..." I am not supportive of illegal immigration, however it surprises me to see that illegal and legal situations can often be talked about together as if we are criminals. Just look at this discussion thread if you want proof of that. This is an article about 'citizenship applications' i.e. legal immigration. The term 'illegal immigration' does not appear once in the article. before posting statements and views on 'illegals' whether it be love of hatred of them (the latter being most common sadly), at least take a few moments to research the process we are discussing or vent your intolerance on some other website.

Cecilia S wrote on Dec 11, 2007 1:48 PM:After reading the comments I am shocked. Can the people realy believe we do not pay property tax and all the other taxes that they pay. Everyone that works or owns property in the USA pays federal and state taxes. I have been paying along with them for many years. Come on people get some knowledge before you speak such rot. I have been listening to that for the past forty five years. I am a permanet resident and have paid my taxes for many years...