The Trump administration is threatening to punish some immigrants in the U.S. illegally with criminal penalties, including jail time and fines, if they fail to sign up for a government registry, as it ramps up its far-reaching immigration crackdown.
The move, announced Tuesday by the Department of Homeland Security, applies to immigrants over the age of 13 who are in the U.S. unlawfully and who have not submitted fingerprints or registered with the federal government.
The Trump administration said it would give those who have not registered a chance to join the registry through an online form that has yet to be published. Failure to do so could result in criminal prosecution, officials warned.
Administration officials framed Tuesday’s announcement as a way to encourage unauthorized immigrants to self-deport by enforcing a law they say has been previously ignored by Democratic and Republican administrations.
“President Trump and Secretary Noem have a clear message for those in our country illegally: leave now,” Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. “If you leave now, you may have the opportunity to return and enjoy our freedom and live the American dream.”
The Trump administration has moved aggressively to make life for those in the country unlawfully increasingly difficult, enacting policies that place them at higher risk of detention and deportation and vocally urging them to leave the country voluntarily.
The registry requirement specifically applies to unauthorized immigrants 14 or older who have been in the U.S. for more than 30 days without submitting fingerprints to officials or registering with the government by filing certain immigration applications. They include those in the country who were never formally admitted or inspected by U.S. immigration officials.
Parents or legal guardians of teenagers subject to the registry requirements must register on their behalf. Those who register will receive a registration document that adults “must carry and keep in their possession at all times,” officials said Tuesday. The Wall Street Journal was first to report on the policy change earlier Tuesday.
The new policy does not apply to legal permanent residents; immigrants who were welcomed under an immigration policy known as parole; or those granted visas, even if they overstayed them. It also does not apply to immigrants granted government work permits or those placed in immigration court proceedings.
Officials said Tuesday’s announcement is designed to comply with an executive action issued by President Trump last month, just hours after he started his second administration. The plan relies on a World War II-era law that created an immigration registry initially designed to identify suspected communists.
