The Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus stood in opposition to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS) proposed rule change that would increase the cost of naturalization applications at a press conference Wednesday. USCIS issued a proposal to increase the cost of the naturalization application from $725 to $760, and increase the cost of other naturalization services. Historically, fee increases negatively impact the rate of naturalization, especially for low-income and working class immigrants. This prevents lawful permanent residents from achieving citizenship and the economic and social benefits citizenship brings. The Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus criticized the rule change in the Federal Register, and suggested naturalized citizens, immigration advocates, and allies do the same. The deadline to submit comments is on March 13, 2023 and comments can be made at https://p2a.co/2RF94lk. The Caucus also highlighted the Illinois Department of Human Services’ New Americans Initiative to provide citizenship services to eligible permanent residents, as well as previous actions Illinois has taken to help immigrants become U.S. citizens.