Comment Submitted by HJ Cohen
AnonymousOpposeIndividual
Summary: The commenter opposes the proposed immigration fees, arguing that they create an unfair financial burden on asylum seekers who are fleeing persecution. They express a personal connection to the immigrant experience and argue that the fees act as a barrier to those seeking safety and a better life in the United States.
I submit this comment in opposition to the Interim Final Rule titled USCIS Immigration Fees and Related Procedures Required by H.R.1 Reconciliation Bill, DHS Docket No. USCIS-2026-0133.
People seeking asylum are fleeing persecution from their home countries, often with just the shirts on their backs. This fee is a highly unfair burden on people who have nothing and just want to escape with their lives and the lives of their children.
This fee should be seen as what it is: yet another method to block asylum seekers from entering or staying in the US.
My grandparents and great-grandparents fled persecution in Eastern Europe. They likely would have perished if the US had allowed them to immigrate. I have a deeply personal connection to those fleeing persecution. I want the US to be the guiding light for the rest of the world, not a country who closes its borders to those who simply want to live in peace and contribute to their new home.