Those residing in the United States without legal status will soon be required to register with the federal government, as per immigration officials. Failure to comply could result in fines, imprisonment, or both.
The registration mandate covers individuals aged 14 and above who lack legal status, according to a recent statement from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, an arm of the Department of Homeland Security. Each eligible individual is obligated to register, provide fingerprints, and disclose their address. Additionally, parents or guardians of those under 14 must ensure their registration.
Outlined below are key aspects of the registry, the most recent action by the Trump administration in line with campaign commitments to tackle illegal immigration and expel millions residing unlawfully in the nation:
What is behind the registry?
Federal immigration law has long required that people living illegally in the U.S. register with the government. Those laws can be traced back to the Alien Registration Act of 1940, which came amid heightened fears of immigrants in the days leading up to World War II. The current requirements stem from the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952.
But, scholars say, the requirement has rarely been enforced.
Officials say that now will change.
“The Trump administration will enforce all our immigration laws — we will not pick and choose which laws we will enforce,” Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. “We must know who is in our country for the safety and security of our homeland and all Americans.”
What is the goal of the announcement?
In part, Tuesday’s Homeland Security statement was purely bureaucratic, a way to announce that the law is again being enforced and how people should register.
Officials said they’d “soon announce a form and process for aliens to complete the registration requirement.” On its website, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service directs people to create an online account and says additional information on registering will be available “in the coming days.”
The announcement of the registry allows the Trump administration to flex its political muscle on the key issue of immigration. It’s also a signal to people living in the U.S. illegally.
“If you leave now, you may have the opportunity to return and enjoy our freedom and live the American dream,” McLaughlin’s statement said.
What will be the effect of the registry?
Like much about the registry, that’s unclear for now. But legal scholars say the practical consequences may not matter, as people already living below the legal radar are unlikely to register, which would make them far easier to deport.
“But even if it doesn’t actually accomplish much in terms of deporting more people, it sends a signal to the American people that ”We’re cracking down on immigrants,” and it will also heighten the fear immigrants already have about what’s going on,” said Stephen Yale-Loehr, a longtime immigration law scholar and retired Cornell Law School professor.
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Associated Press writer Rebecca Santana contributed reporting.
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