Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard released the following statement today concerning a rule proposed by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that would require lawful permanent residents to apply for a new Permanent Resident Card, commonly referred to as a “green card,” if those cards were issued prior to 1989. This rule would give 750,000 lawful permanent residents only 120 days to be fingerprinted and submit information for a background check, as well as pay a $370 filing fee. The purpose of the rule is to issue more secure green cards, update cardholder information and conduct background checks. USCIS does not have a direct outreach plan to encourage the participation of permanent residents, and the pre-1989 green cards would expire at a later date to be announced only in the Federal Register.
“The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has proposed a rule unworkable in its implementation and flawed in its conception of fairness. The DHS has allotted only three months for three-quarters of a million people to file an application and submit fingerprints and current biographic information. The DHS also has no plan to directly inform these 750,000 individuals that they need to complete these tasks. And for those permanent lawful residents who unknowingly allow their green cards to expire, the department has no plan to assist them to keep their jobs, prove their identity or travel outside the U.S.
“The immigrants who will be impacted by this policy upheld their end of the deal when they slowly moved through the permanent residency application process. Now the DHS is asking them to pay a substantial fee or risk losing their rights.
“Not only is any fee unfair to those who have already completed the permanent residency application process, the $370 filing fee proposed by the DHS is exorbitant for many permanent residents. These fees could prove to be too much for the elderly, infirm, unemployed, or those living on a fixed income.
“Let me be clear: I support the efforts of the Department of Homeland Security to use tamper-resistant identity cards and documents. What I do not support is a harried process all but designed to fail. If the old residency cards and documents represent a security risk, then we must create a process that is as thorough as the threat is serious.
“Instead, the Administration has proposed an unfair process that squanders the goodwill and hard-earned dollars of those who we once welcomed as full members of our communities.
“I call on Secretary Chertoff to abandon his proposal and develop a thoughtful, thorough and achievable plan that includes adequate notification of affected individuals.”
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