[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 39 (Wednesday, March 7, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2803-S2804]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. OBAMA (for himself, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Salazar, and Mr. 
        Bingaman):
  S. 795. A bill to assist aliens who have been lawfully admitted in 
becoming citizens of the United States, and for other purposes; to the 
Committee on the Judiciary.
  Mr. OBAMA. Mr. President, I am proud to introduce the Citizenship 
Promotion Act (CPA) of 2007 with my good

[[Page S2804]]

friend Congressman Luis Gutierrez. In the Senate, we are joined by 
Senator Salazar, Senator Menendez, and Senator Bingaman. The CPA will 
encourage the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to 
charge fees for services to legal immigrants that are fair and 
reasonable, and it would remove other potential bureaucratic barriers 
to the pursuit of citizenship.
  Immigration policy remains one of the most contentious and divisive 
issues in our politics. And it is contentious and divisive because our 
policies are full of mixed messages. We must state clearly what our 
immigration policy should achieve--a legal, orderly, and secure 
immigration system that values immigrants, recognizes our right to 
control who enters our country, and promotes the legal pursuit of 
citizenship.
  Most recently, the unanimous declarations of our support for legal 
immigrants has run head on into a USCIS proposal to dramatically 
increase immigration application fees beyond the reach of many working 
class legal immigrants. For a family of four that is working hard and 
legally pursuing the American dream, the new fees could put citizenship 
out of reach for many immigrants. For a family of four, the new fees 
would raise the cost of the application for citizenship by 80 percent 
to more than $2,400 dollars. And the fees for all other services will 
rise as well.
  The Administration argues that people will pay any fee to become 
Americans. For many people, that is true. But for others, the new fee 
will send the message that they need only apply if they can afford it. 
It sends the message that we measure character based on income.
  Our government has never provided services based on what people are 
willing to pay. That is why we are introducing the Citizenship 
Promotion Act to ensure that immigration application fees are both 
reasonable and fair and that the citizenship process itself respects 
the individuality of each applicant.
  For immigrants who choose to come to America and pursue citizenship, 
there are numerous barriers. First, family, friends, and community are 
left behind. The new communities they enter come with the challenge of 
a new language, different social norms, and sometimes discrimination. 
And yet, every year, thousands of immigrants fully embrace the values 
and ideals that make us all Americans and unite us in our common 
pursuit of a better, more democratic society.
  The dues we charge legal immigrants for joining the American family, 
from application fees to naturalization tests to background checks are 
all necessary, but should not eliminate people on the basis of income, 
age, or ethnicity. Excessive fees, testing that asks trivial questions 
or is administered without consideration for the applicant's 
circumstances, and background checks that take years to complete tell 
us more about ourselves than they do about those wishing to enter.

  We believe that there are ways to help cushion the blow to immigrants 
from increased costs without hurting the agency. The CPA would make it 
clear to the USCIS that application fees do not need to fund all direct 
and indirect costs. We would maintain fees at their current levels and 
require that before raising fees any further, the agency report to 
Congress on its direct and indirect costs and how much in 
appropriations it would need to establish reasonable and fair fees.
  In addition to ensuring that fees are fair, we want to make sure that 
other aspects of pursuing citizenship are fair as well. Our bill 
requires that citizenship tests be administered with consideration for 
the applicant, that the agency work with the FBI to move background 
checks through the process more quickly, and that any new application 
procedure make it possible for people without Internet access to 
continue submitting their applications on paper. The bill also creates 
a new grant program to give community based organizations the resources 
necessary to prepare and equip immigrants to become citizens.
  Let's stop sending mixed messages. Let's work together and set 
immigration fees at a level that are fair and consistent with our 
commitment to being an open, democratic, and egalitarian society.
                                 ______