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- Title
PRICE TAGS ON CITIZENSHIP: THE CONSTITUTIONALITY OF THE FORM N-600 FEE.
- Authors
BEDOYA, JUAN ESTEBAN
- Abstract
Proof of citizenship is of paramount importance. In the United States, the need for citizenship documentation is particularly acute in light of heightened immigration enforcement. For U.S. citizens born abroad, proof of citizenship can be obtained by submitting a Form N-600 to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, which in turn provides a Certificate of Citizenship. Although these individuals are entitled to citizenship and all of its benefits by statute, they are required to pay $1170 in order to obtain this Certificate. This Note seeks to analyze the constitutionality of this exorbitant fee. Determination of citizenship confers with it important rights and several privileges, such as access to employment, the ability to vote and seek public office, and many other government benefits. Perhaps more importantly, determination of citizenship also confers protection--protection from detention, from removal proceedings, and from deportation. This Note analyzes the viability of a constitutional challenge to the $1170 filing fee through a procedural due process claim, the importance of which is underscored by the life-altering consequences of citizenship as well as the benefits and protections it affords. Simply put, access to the benefits of citizenship should not turn on a citizen's ability to pay a prohibitively expensive fee; the Constitution demands greater protections.
- Subjects
UNITED States; UNITED States citizenship; FORMS (Law); LEGAL costs; U.S. Citizenship &; Immigration Services; DUE process of law
- Publication
New York University Law Review, 2020, Vol 95, Issue 4, p1022
- ISSN
0028-7881
- Publication type
Article