On December 16th, Children’s HealthWatch submitted a public comment on the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) proposed rule for “U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Fee Schedule and Changes to Certain Other Immigration Benefit Request Requirements.” The changes detailed in the proposed rule would put the American Dream out of reach for many immigrant families. At the same time that DHS is seeking a historic increase in the fee for naturalization and other benefits, it is planning to completely cut-off access to immigration and naturalization for certain people by eliminating well-established fee waivers.

The proposed rule will do harm: The changes will drive up national healthcare and education costs and impair over the long-term our national health, educational achievement, and economic status. By only allowing those with existing wealth and resources to immigrate to the United States, we are harming the health of children and vital communities within our country, and distancing ourselves from the American value of opportunity, forgetting the lower income origins of many of our forebears. Therefore, we strongly oppose any administrative action that would harm the health of children and their families and urge the administration to immediately withdraw this proposal in its entirety.