Rockefeller Research Helps Block Naturalization Fee Increases

Professor of Political Science Rey Koslowski

ALBANY, N.Y. (Oct. 22, 2020) — On Sept. 29, a federal judge blocked the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and officials serving in those agencies from enforcing a new rule that would have increased the naturalization fee from $725 to $1,160 on Oct. 2.

In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey S. White cited a study co-authored by Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy Professor Rey Koslowski.

The paper, "A Randomized Controlled Design Reveals Barriers to Citizenship for Low-Income Immigrants," was published in the January 2018 edition of PNAS, was based on a research project led by Koslowski and others designed to help immigrants in New York find the tools they need to take the next step in the immigration process.

Koslowski’s project was created in collaboration with Stanford University’s Immigration Policy Lab, George Mason University, as well as Laura Gonzalez-Murphy, a University at Albany Political Science alum who serves as director of immigration policy and research at the New York Department of State.

UAlbany alum and Director of the Office for New Americans Laura Gonzalez-Murphy receives the Ohtli Award from Dr. Jorge Islas Lopez, the Consul General of Mexico in N.Y. on Oct. 9.

Gonzalez-Murphy, who served as director of NYS immigration policy and research at NY Department of State during the research process, was also director of the New York State Office for New Americans, which was created by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2013 to help immigrants fully participate in New York State civic and economic life by giving them the tools and resources necessary to take the next step.

In 2016, ONA led the development and launch of NaturalizeNY — an online lottery for vouchers to cover naturalization application fees for immigrants with incomes of up to 300 percent of the poverty line.

“By assigning winners at random, the lottery gave us a way to compare similarly situated immigrants who want to become citizens — those who receive the voucher and those who do not,” said Koslowski. “By following the two groups to see how many complete the application, we can measure how powerful the financial assistance was, and in turn how much the costs may be discouraging others from naturalizing.”

According to the research, offering the fee voucher increased naturalization application rates by about 41 percent, which suggests the fees present a barrier for low-income immigrants who want to become citizens.

The ruling comes in response to a lawsuit that the Immigrant Legal Resource Center filed, along with several nonprofit organizations, in August 2020. The case remains in active litigation, but Judge White issued a nationwide injunction to temporarily halt the fee increases, which is good news for those applying to become new Americans.

“Since its creation, the Office for New Americans has been dedicated to working with our partners to assist New York’s vast immigrant community become part of the family of New York, said Gonzalez-Murphy, who received her Ph.D. from UAlbany in 2009. “This recent court ruling demonstrates the important role our programming and research findings have in advocating for the immigrant community across the country.”

In addition, for her impactful work with New Americans, the Mexican Government announced Gonzalez-Murphy as a 2020 recipient of the Reconocimiento Ohtli (Ohtli Award), which is given to an individual or group that has “aided, empowered, or positively affected the lives of Mexican nationals in the United States and other countries.” It is one of the highest recognitions given by the Mexican government to Mexican citizens who work in the United States and other countries and who have given assistance to Mexican citizens or promoted their culture.

“As a person born and raised in Mexico, working on behalf of the migrant population was something that just seemed natural,” said Gonzalez-Murphy. “The Ohtli Award came as a great surprise and while significantly humbling, it also means a great responsibility. A responsibility I will keep in mind every day.”