Plan to raise immigration fees meets with opposition in House

THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE

WASHINGTON — The Bush administration's plan to sharply raise fees to become a citizen, get a work permit or obtain other immigration services could hit a bump in the road.

Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., chairwoman of the House Judiciary immigration subcommittee, and other congressional Democrats are questioning the Citizenship and Immigration Service's bid to raise application fees by an average 66 percent starting as early as June.

Also, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and his allies said Wednesday the federal government should fund the delivery of immigration services rather than make applicants pay all the costs.

Unlike most federal agencies, Citizenship and Immigration Services is overwhelmingly funded by application fees. They account for 90 percent of its $2 billion budget this year.