A Northern District of California federal judge on Thursday certified a nationwide class action on behalf of hundreds of thousands of immigrants who have been subject to allegedly illegal application fees.
The suit, filed in 2007, alleges that the U.S. government has been charging immigrants an additional cost on top of a $50 registration fee Congress prescribed for those seeking Temporary Protected Status. The plaintiffs contend the government can’t charge more for collecting “biometric” information: fingerprints, an electronic signature and a photograph.
