Forum Publications

FY 2012 Homeland Security Appropriations

January 25, 2012

A brief summary of the immigration-related components of the Fiscal Year 2012 budget for the Department of Homeland Security, including appropriations allocated for Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Making the Naturalization Process Less Daunting by Reforming the USCIS Fee Structure

September 22, 2011

This paper discusses fee increases in the naturalization process that have been driven in part by surcharges immigrants must pay on their naturalization and other fees to cover the costs of work done by the immigration agency that has little or nothing to do with the processing of the immigrant’s application. The paper briefly discusses a different approach for funding those activities not related to processing an immigrant’s naturalization or other application.

The Importance of Naturalization: Good for Immigrants, Good for America

September 15, 2011

This one-page paper explains that immigrants want to become citizens, and that is a good thing for America. Some obstacles to citizenship are discussed, with recommendations for overcoming them.

Modest Investment for Immigrant Integration Should be Preserved

May 27, 2011

Immigrant integration benefits our nation as a whole. Our democracy is strengthened when eligible immigrants become citizens and participate fully in our society and political system. A modest government investment in immigrant integration is threatened by a spending bill now being considered in the House.

Making the Fee Structure of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services More Transparent

May 27, 2011

USCIS has begun to move away from a model in which virtually all of its activities, including those having nothing to do with the adjudication of applications of fee-paying customers, are paid for by fees collected from those customers. A House Appropriations bill would reverse that initiative, likely requiring USCIS to again raise fees to cover its costs.

House Spending Bill Proposes to Reverse Government Initiative to Integrate Immigrants

February 26, 2011

This backgrounder describes the history of a government initiative to help immigrants integrate, and explains how the Continuing Resolution passed by the House to fund the government for the remainder of the government’s fiscal year 2011 will eliminate funding for this important initiative.