Immigration Enforcement and Visa Fee Increase Bill Passed
Date: 08/16/2010
Contact: Brad Hendrick
Contact Phone: 303-443-8010
Location: Boulder, Colorado
Immigration Enforcement and Visa Fee Increase Bill Passed
On August 13, President Obama signed a Homeland Security Enforcement bill (H.R. 6080), that was passed quickly through Congress. The bill provides $600 million for increased enforcement. U.S. Customs and Border Protection will receive $254 million for increased border enforcement personnel, $52 million for border security fencing, communication support, unmanned aircraft, and construction and facilities management. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will receive $80 million for law enforcement activities, training, and personnel, and the Department of Justice and Judicial Branch will receive $196 million and $10 million respectively to assist with funding for salaries related to immigration enforcement and detention.
The costs will, in part, be offset by increased visa fees. Employers who have at least 50 employees who have at least 50% of their workforce on L-1 visas will see their filing and fraud detection and protection fee raised by $2,000. Employers who have at least 50 employees who have at least 50% of their workforce on H-1B visas will see their filing and fraud detection and protection fee raised by $2,250. We can expect to see these new fees adopted quickly by USCIS.
A summary of major expenditures is below:
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Additional funding for CBP personnel totaling $254 million, including:
- $39 million for Customs and Border Protection to maintain keep current officer staffing levels on the southwest border
- $29 million Customs and Border Protection to deploy officers at ports of entry on the southwest border
- $176 million for 1,000 new Border Patrol agents to form a "strike force" to be deployed at areas most needed
- $10 million to support integrity and background investigation programs
- $14 million for designing, building, and deploying tactical communications for support of enforcement activities on the southwest border
- $32 million to acquire and deploy unmanned aircraft systems
- $6 million to construct up to two (2) forward operating bases for use by CBP to carry out enforcement activities
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Additional funding for ICE personnel totaling $80 million, including:
- $30 million for law enforcement activities targeted at reducing the threat of violence along the southwest border
- $50 million for hiring additional agents, investigators, intelligence analysts, and support personnel
Department of Justice
Funding for necessary expenses for increased law enforcement activities related to southwest border enforcement, totaling $196 million, including:
- $2 million for Administrative Review and Appeals
- $7 million for Detention Trustees
- $13 million for U.S. Attorneys salaries and expenses and other general legal activities
- $30 million for U.S. Marshals salaries and expenses
- $8 million for construction for U.S Marshals
- $21 million for interagency law, crime and drug enforcement
- $24 million for FBI salaries and expenses
- $34 million for DEA salaries and expenses
- $37 million for ATF salaries and expenses
- $20 million for Federal Prison System salaries and expenses
Judicial Branch
Provides $10 million for Courts of Appeals and District Courts salaries and expenses to meet increased workload requirements resulting from immigration and other law enforcement activities.
USCIS Fee Increases
Raises filing and fraud prevention and detection for L visas by $2,250 and H-1B visas by $2,000 for applicants who have more than 50 employees in the US if more than 50 percent of their employees on L or H-1B visas respectively. Filing fee increase ends on September 30, 2014.
For more information on this new bill or any other immigration matters, please contact Brad Hendrick at 303-443-8010.