US Republicans propose charging asylum seekers US$1,000 per application
Republicans also want to impose a giant fee of US$8,500 for anyone wanting to sponsor a child to get them out of federal custody
Republican lawmakers are seeking to give US President Donald Trump broad powers to charge onerous fees to migrants seeking asylum in the United States – suggesting a minimum cost of US$1,000 per application.
The figure appears among a slew of new or increased immigration charges being considered by the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee as the party seeks to usher Trump’s domestic agenda into law.
Around 54,000 foreign nationals were granted asylum in the United States in 2023, according to the latest figures from the Office of Homeland Security Statistics.
The leading countries of origin included Afghanistan – where US$1,000 is the equivalent of two-and-a-half years’ wages – and Venezuela, where it would take about three months on average to earn that much.
“President Trump and House Republicans are committed to restoring immigration integrity, enhancing national security, and reining in the out-of-control administrative state,” the committee said in a statement alongside the release of the text.
Judiciary – like the other budget-setting panels in the House – is contributing its own section to a massive bill Republicans want to pass to codify Trump’s agenda of tax cuts, immigration curbs and boosted energy production.
Part of the text gives Trump increased powers to charge huge fees to asylum seekers and other immigration applicants as a condition of remaining in the United States.