SEATTLE – Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS) announced on Aug. 21 that it had joined a coalition of eight of the nation’s leading immigrants’ rights organizations in filing a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Chad Wolf, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and Kenneth Cuccinelli over DHS’s new Fee Rule increasing application fees for immigration benefits, including citizenship and asylum.
The coalition is seeking an emergency nationwide injunction of the rule to prevent it from going
into effect on Oct. 2.
“The 83% fee increase and the elimination of the fee waiver for the application to naturalize constitute a wealth test for the American Dream, and this cannot stand. For that reason, ACRS is proud to stand with other immigration service providers from across the country to legally challenge the unjust and unnecessary fee increases at USCIS,” said ACRS Executive Director Michael Byun.
As the largest naturalization provider in Washington state, ACRS helps over 700 people apply for citizenship each year. In a news release, ACRS said, “Based on our work on the frontlines, we know the fee rule will hurt and harm older immigrant adults, immigrants with disabilities, and lower-income immigrants, preventing or making it difficult for them to become citizens. ACRS immediately joined the coalition’s lawsuit to fight this act, which is the latest in a long line of anti-immigrant actions by this administration.”