Protests erupted in Newark Thursday over the rising cost for immigrants to become American citizens.

Those rallying say they are trying to get the attention of Congress to lower the cost of citizenship. They add that some immigrants can?t even afford to pay the current fees, let alone more.

The Department of Homeland Security?s Citizenship and Immigration services says increasing the costs will allow it to hire more staff, upgrade equipment and approve applications faster. Those rallying claim that the costs have increased over the years and services have not improved.

The proposed increases have not yet been approved.