The Trump administration announced Tuesday the creation of a registry for individuals living in the United States illegally, with those failing to self-report facing potential fines or prosecution.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated that all undocumented immigrants must register, provide fingerprints, and submit their address. The administration cited a provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act as the legal basis for the measure, which applies to individuals 14 years and older.
The initiative aligns with the administration’s broader immigration enforcement policies, including mass deportations and stricter border controls.
“An alien’s failure to register is a crime that could result in a fine, imprisonment, or both,” DHS said in a statement. “For decades, this law has been ignored — not anymore.”
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said it is developing a process and form for registration, which will be released soon.
The registry stems from one of President Donald Trump’s 10 executive orders on immigration issued on Inauguration Day. The order directed DHS to “immediately announce and publicize information about the legal obligation of all previously unregistered aliens in the United States to comply.”
It remains unclear how many undocumented immigrants will voluntarily come forward. However, failure to register will be considered a crime, with the administration prioritizing individuals with criminal records for deportation.
The National Immigration Law Center, an advocacy group, noted that the only previous large-scale registration of noncitizens occurred under the Alien Registration Act of 1940. That program required noncitizens to register at local post offices, with the stated aim of identifying national security threats perceived as communist or subversive.
The organization warned that the new registry could serve as a tool for tracking individuals for potential deportation.
“Any attempt by the Trump administration to create a registration process for noncitizens previously unable to register would be used to identify and target people for detention and deportation,” the group stated.
AP
