Trump administration plans to require immigrants to register

The Trump administration said on Tuesday that it planned to make immigrants age 14 or older who are in the United States illegally register and provide their fingerprints to the US government or potentially face criminal prosecution.

The announcement by the Department of Homeland Security is a drastic escalation in the Trump administration’s efforts to push millions of immigrants in the country illegally to leave on their own. Administration officials have repeatedly implored such immigrants to depart. Now they are adding an implicit threat.

“President Trump and Secretary Noem have a clear message for those in our country illegally: Leave now,” Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the department, said in a statement, referring to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. “If you leave now, you may have the opportunity to return and enjoy our freedom and live the American dream.”

Migrants who do not register could face criminal or civil penalties, including fines. But it is unlikely the new rule will result in widespread compliance.

Immigrants in the country illegally are unlikely to come forward to register with the government, especially given President Donald Trump’s threats of mass deportations. The administration also does not know where many of these immigrants are, making it difficult to prosecute them if they do not register.

Still, the move was a sign of the Trump administration’s intent to use every resource available to create a hostile environment for immigrants with the hope that they will leave the United States voluntarily.

“We’re seeing an effort to expand arrests through any means possible, so this provision likely aims to create additional justifications to arrest and deport more individuals from the country,” said Cris Ramón, a senior immigration adviser for UnidosUS, a civil rights organization. “It also creates additional confusion for undocumented individuals, increasing the fear that’s gripped them and their families since late January.”

The new plan would rely on an existing immigration law, although one that has not generally been enforced. Shortly before the United States entered World War II, the US passed a law requiring immigrants living in the country without legal permission to register with the US government at their local post office.

The department said the registration effort does not apply to those who have green cards, who are already in deportation proceedings or who entered the country with visas.