Photo courtesy of foreignpolicy.com

MIAMI – Republicans in Congress are making life difficult for immigrants seeking asylum by proposing an array of fees to remain in the United States.

GOP lawmakers said the fees are necessary to offset the costs for President Trump’s immigration crackdown operation.

But critics say it puts more financial burden on people who have the right to be in the U.S. while seeking asylum.

Under the bill, immigrants would have to pay $1,000 to apply for asylum, $100 to keep an application active each year as it makes it through the overburdened immigration system, and $550 for a work permit.

People requesting humanitarian parole to enter the United States would have to pay $1,000, and abused or neglected children who qualify for a program called Special Immigrant Juvenile Status would have to pay $500.

Immigration cases can take a long time to resolve in court, but if a defendant asks a judge for a continuance, they would have to pay $100 each time.

The new fees are targeted at people, often relatives, who seek to sponsor children who crossed the border without a parent or guardian and wind up in the government’s care.

To take custody of an unaccompanied minor, adults would have to pay $3,500 to partially pay back the government for the minor’s care, along with another $5,000 to ensure the child attends their court hearings, though that money can be reimbursed if they do.