Congressional Republicans have proposed a new set of fees for immigrants seeking to stay in the United States to advocate for warnings that it will create insurmountable financial obstacles.

Legislation carried out through the Republican-controlled House could require immigrants to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars to seek asylum, care for minors in government custody or apply for humanitarian parole.

Republican lawmakers described the fees as necessary to offset the cost of Donald Trump’s crackdown. But experts working with immigration say that putting greater economic pressure on people trying to drive U.S. immigration laws could waste very little money, forcing them to make exploitation work arrangements, or forcing them to leave the country altogether.

"These are essentially masks of targeted attacks against immigrants currently being the most vulnerable to the legal system: asylum seekers, children, crime survivors," said Victoria Maqueda Feldman.

Not only does Trump want to get rid of the country that has undocumented immigration, but also block many new immigrants from entering the country, which is a priority for his administration. Republican-controlled Congress is negotiating what he calls “a big and beautiful bill,” a huge spending and tax package that includes rules that turn his hardline immigration proposal into reality.

Due to the Senate lawsuit, Republicans can achieve limited goals in Congress, and Democratic minorities can use to block legislation they do not support. Republicans are seeking to develop Trump's legislative agenda through a budget settlement process, under which bills can be passed in a simple majority of two rooms, but must affect only expenditures and income, such as expenses.

“The system has caused these agencies to pay shortages of funds paid by U.S. taxpayers,” said Jim Jordan, Republican chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. “The fees included in this bill will … allow us to make the necessary investments in immigration enforcement in a financially responsible manner.”

Heidi Altman, vice president of policy at the National Immigration Law Center, said the new fees appear to be targeting various immigrants prioritized by the Trump administration, such as asylum seekers who arrived in large numbers during Joe Biden’s tenure.

"This is part of the government's attack on humanitarian protections in the immigrant communities," Altman said. "It's a whole new way to think about the costs, and essentially, it's a fine for immigration status."

Under the bill, immigrants must pay $1,000 to apply for asylum, $100 to keep their applications active because it makes them apply through an overburdened immigration system, and a $550 work permit. People who require humanitarian parole to enter the United States must pay $1,000, and children who are abused or neglected are eligible for a program called "Special Immigrant Juvenile Status" that must pay $500. Immigration cases may take a long time to settle in court, but if the defendants ask the judge to proceed, they must pay $100 each time.

These fees do not exist in the existing law, which stipulates that they cannot be abandoned under almost all circumstances.

The new fee is for people, usually relatives, who seek to sponsor children at borders without parents or guardians and end with government care. To detain an unaccompanied minor, the adult must pay $3,500 to partially repay the government’s minor care and an additional $5,000 to ensure the child attends a court hearing, although they can pay back the money if they do so.

"In some cases, this will make $3,500 between mothers or fathers to be able to take the child out of government custody and return to his own home," Altman said.

When the Trump administration was looking for new ways to push immigrants away, including providing them with cash to leave, the fees were raised. If the president receives tens of thousands of dollars he asked for Congress, the bill will preview what will happen.

More than $50 billion was allocated in the legislation to build a wall in defence projects with Mexico and elsewhere. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will receive $45 billion in detention centers, $14 billion in deportation operations, and hiring 10,000 new agents by 2029.

For the services of low-income client Ayuda, Feldman predicts that the expenses “can constitute a complete barrier to the form of relief.”

Some people may be able to raise that money, but “through this may put them in greater danger. So, working under the table puts them at risk of labor trafficking. They may have to take out those loans with high interest rates, put them in danger and make it necessary for them to pay off something very expensive.”

The bill is a top priority for congressional Republicans, but its approach to its formulation is unclear. Right-wing Republican lawmakers blocked their progress through a key House committee Friday, believing that it did not cut government spending deep enough.

Last month, Republican lawmakers quickly approved the bill when the Judiciary Committee met to approve portions of the bill that included an increase in fees, with little sign of objection.