Comment Submitted by C. Conroy

I am writing to submit public comments regarding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to increase the fee for Form I-246, Application for a Stay of Deportation or Removal, from $155 to $755. I strongly oppose this drastic fee increase for the following reasons: 1. Immigrants contribute to our community in positive ways, as tax payers, business owners, care givers, and students. The ones who are persevering in properly documenting their status DESPITE delays and arbitrary decisions by the DHS adjudicators should not be punished for doing so. 2. Severe Financial Difficulty and Burden Increasing the filing fee by $600 could be an insurmountable financial burden for essential workers and their families. This would result in irreparable harm without consideration of their circumstances. The existence of fee waivers is no substitute for a low, accessible fee. 2. Unjustified Increase Relative to Inflation Imposing an exponential spike without demonstrating a corresponding agency need or an improvement in the processing times or adjudication efficiency is arbitrary and capricious. For these reasons, I urge DHS to reconsider and withdraw this proposed rule and maintain the current $155 fee.