The Department of Homeland Security wants to make legal immigration 75 percent more expensive for foreign nationals seeking American citizenship.
DHS proposed raising fees for U.S. citizenship paperwork by three-quarters, according to ABC News reporting.
The fee increase would hit foreign nationals applying for naturalization — the final step in the legal immigration process that transforms green card holders into American citizens.
The move comes as the Trump administration continues reshaping immigration policy across the board — tightening asylum rules, completing border wall construction, and now making legal citizenship more costly.
No details on the exact dollar amounts were provided in the proposal.
The fee hike would mark one of the steepest increases in recent memory for citizenship processing costs. Current naturalization fees already run into the hundreds of dollars before adding biometric processing and other required steps.
DHS has not yet released a timeline for when the proposed increase would take effect or what exemptions might apply for low-income applicants.
The proposal is likely to draw pushback from immigration advocacy groups while winning support from restrictionists who argue legal immigration costs should reflect the value of American citizenship.
President Trump delivers remarks in Macungie, Pennsylvania later today.
