Immigration Debate; Fees Spurs Illegal Aliens To Go Legal

A New York Times report suggests that the immigration bill debate (which wouldn't have been a debate had Senate Democrats and the President had their way and rammed through the bill without a debate on the floor) combined with a price increase has led to an increase in the number of citizenship applications.

The numbers of new naturalized citizens have steadily grown, to 702,589 last year from 463,204 in 2003. A big jump occurred this year, with the number of applications increasing every month, to 115,175 in May compared with 65,782 last December.

More than 4,000 new Americans were sworn in yesterday in tradition-steeped — and some not so traditional — Fourth of July ceremonies. About 1,000 people from 75 countries took their oaths together under the turrets of Cinderella’s Castle at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., as Gloria Estefan sang “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

In Iraq, 325 foreign-born soldiers who are fighting in the United States military took the oath of allegiance in two ceremonies.

For many legal immigrants, worry about their futures in the United States turned into action after an announcement on Jan. 31 by Citizenship and Immigration Services that it would increase application fees.

Under the new fees, which take effect on July 30, it will cost $675 to become a naturalized citizen, up 69 percent from $400.

I think they've got the right idea, whatever their motivations. If these people want to be in the US and reap the benefits of being here, becoming a citizen is the right thing to do.

It also happens to undermine one of the arguments for amnesty, given that these people have realized that the path to citizenship means becoming a citizen, and not getting special preferences via an amnesty. Indeed, it would appear that the amnesty program offered under prior versions of the immigration bill would have been far harsher than the fees to become a naturalized citizen.