"Sarah Towle joins The Great Battlefield podcast to talk about her book "Crossing the Line: Finding America in the Borderlands" where she writes about how unwelcoming our government is to...
Valerie Lacarte, Ph.D., Aug. 2024 "The charge that immigrants are taking jobs from U.S.-born Black workers has made its way from conspiracy circles to the broader public conversation this election...
I have some thoughts for the Harris/Walz team, the Supreme Court, Congress, DHS, DOL, and DOJ regarding the border. Please consider subscribing to my free Substack . Comments welcome via Substack,...
Eric Asimov, New York Times, Aug. 27, 2024 (gift article) "Arjav Ezekiel rose through the restaurant ranks becoming a sommelier and opening Birdie’s in Austin, Texas. Few knew of his past...
Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, the ACLU, the ACLU of Louisiana, Immigration Services & Legal Advocacy, National Immigration Project, Aug. 26. 2024 "A coalition of immigrants’ rights groups...
Stuart Anderson, Forbes, Mar. 2, 2020
"Due to long processing times, since 2014 companies have been forced to pay $2.4 billion in “premium processing” fees to ensure their business immigration cases are decided within a reasonable time. Critics say U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has no incentive to process cases faster because the more time it takes, the greater the revenue the agency receives in additional premium processing fees.
To understand premium processing, imagine you sat down at a restaurant and saw a large asterisk next to the price of an entrée that costs $20.
“What does this asterisk mean?” you asked.
“It means the meal costs $20 but you have to sit here for 9 hours before I bring it out so you can eat it,” said the waiter.
“Nine hours? That’s outrageous! Isn’t there any alternative?”
“Yes,” said the waiter. “If you pay for ‘premium processing,’ you can get the meal after about 15 minutes but it will cost you an additional $1,440.”
“What if I want to eat at a restaurant and I don’t want to wait 9 hours or pay an extra $1,440?”
“You don’t have a choice – we’re the only restaurant in America.”
That sums up what businesses and attorneys say is their experience when filing immigration applications with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS has a monopoly on its service and takes a significant length of time to make decisions on cases.
... At a cost of $2.4 billion over the past 6 years, premium processing is likely the most expensive Band-Aid in American history."