The Trump administration is moving to enforce a federal registry for immigrants who have no permission to be in the U.S, warning that those who fail to comply could face fines, prison time, and deportation.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem explained on Fox News how the process works for immigrants without legal status.
“The Alien Registration Act says that within 30 days of being in this country illegally, someone must register with the federal government. They will be fingerprinted. They must announce that they are here. And if they do so, they can avoid criminal charges and fines, and we will help them relocate right back to their home country,” Noem said.
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Why It Matters
The policy marks a shift in immigration enforcement, aiming to track and remove individuals with no legal status more aggressively. The announcement aligns with the administration’s efforts to fulfill campaign promises of mass deportations of undocumented individuals and tightening the border to block future asylum-seekers.
Failure to register would be classified as a crime, and the administration has stated that its primary deportation target is individuals who have committed crimes in the U.S.
What To Know
The enforcement of the Alien Registration Requirement is based on a 1940 law originally designed to combat subversive activities. Under the new directive, undocumented immigrants must register within 30 days of arrival in the U.S. Those who comply will be fingerprinted and documented but can avoid criminal penalties. Officials state this will facilitate their return to their home countries, with a potential pathway for legal reentry.
Foreign nationals aged 14 or older who have not been previously fingerprinted or registered must enroll and keep their addresses updated if they have stayed beyond 30 days.
Noem emphasized that the administration is using “every single tool” to enforce President Trump’s deportation policies. She stated that self-registration offers an opportunity for undocumented individuals to comply with federal law while receiving assistance in leaving the U.S.
On its website, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service said it would soon create a form and process for registration.
In one of his 10 Inauguration Day executive orders on immigration, President Donald Trump initially detailed plans for establishing a registry and directed Homeland Security to “immediately announce and publicize information about the legal obligation of all previously unregistered aliens in the United States to comply.”
The National Immigration Law Center warned that the registry was designed to identify potential deportation targets.
What People Are Saying
Noem said on Fox News: “If they don’t register, they’re breaking the federal law, which has always been in place. We’re just going to start enforcing it to make sure that these aliens go back home. And when they want to be an American, then they can come and visit us again. These folks that are here in this country illegally can self-register. They can avoid the criminal charges. They can avoid the fines. And we will help them go home.
“And what that provides for them is a safer environment. It’s safer for our communities. It saves us taxpayer dollars. And it allows them an opportunity to come back to this country and to be an American and to live the American dream, which is truly what our history is all about.
A DHS spokesperson said in a statement shared with Newsweek: “President Trump and Secretary Noem have a clear message for those in our country illegally: leave now. If you leave now, you may have the opportunity to return and enjoy our freedom and live the American dream. The Trump administration will enforce all our immigration laws—we will not pick and choose which laws we will enforce. We must know who is in our country for the safety and security of our homeland and all Americans.”
The National Immigration Law Center, an immigration advocacy group, said on its website: “This EO provision rests on a half-a-century-old law and is reminiscent of shameful historical examples of race- and nationality-based registry requirements in the United States. The provision is also confounding because no universal, separate process currently exists for the registration of noncitizens in the United States.”
What Happens Next
The Department of Homeland Security is expected to announce more details on the official registration process in the coming days.