In a dramatic policy change that has raised fear throughout immigrant populations in the U.S., the White House ordered last week that all foreign nationals who have been in the U.S. for over 30 days are required to sign up with the federal government.
Those who do not risk severe penalties, including financial fines, prison, deportation, and exclusion for life from entering the United States again.
All foreign nationals in the United States more than 30 days must be registered with the federal government. Not doing so is a criminal offense punishable by fines, jail time, or both," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt declared.
"Otherwise, you will be arrested, fined, deported, never to set foot again in our country," she said, highlighting the seriousness of the administration's position.
The demand, based on the Alien Registration Act—a little-known law passed in the midst of World War II—was brought back to life after a ruling by U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden. A Trump appointee himself, Judge McFadden rejected a lawsuit by immigrant rights groups, ruling that the plaintiffs had not shown sufficient legal standing to challenge the requirement.
With this court approval, the regulation became effective by law, requiring all non-citizens, both those with legal visas and lawful permanent residents, to register and have evidence of compliance on hand at all times.
As per the Department of Homeland Security, anybody who arrived in the U.S. after April 11 should register within 30 days. Also, those children who become 14 years old have to register again and provide their fingerprints, even though they had previously registered.
The federal government made it explicitly clear that failure to comply would have serious consequences. Those who do not register risk being fined $5,000, jailed for 30 days, and faced with the threat of immediate deportation. They might even be barred from the U.S. permanently.
Leavitt, an assistant to President Donald Trump as well, presented the policy as something the country needed in order to enhance national security.
The Trump administration will continue to enforce our country's immigration laws. We will not pick and choose which laws to enforce. We need to know who is in our country for the safety and for the security of our country and for all American citizens," she declared.
As the deadline for registration expires, anxieties are growing among holders of visas, illegal immigrants, and families of mixed immigration status. Most of them are anticipating increased government surveillance and potential raids, fearing the policy will open the door for mass enforcement.
With compliance becoming obligatory, the action represents a turning point for the administration's immigration agenda and a shift towards more stringent documentation procedures not observed in decades.
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