Illegal immigrants in the U.S., including children 14 and older, will be required to submit personal information, such as fingerprints and home addresses, to a registry under a plan being considered by the Trump administration.
"Aliens in this country illegally face a choice," Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote in a memo describing the new policy, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. "They can return home and follow the legal process to come to the United States or they can deal with the consequences of continuing to violate our laws."
The move is part of broad efforts by President Donald Trump to crack down on illegal immigration through mass deportations and border security. Previously, illegal immigrants were committing a civil offense and could be detained and deported but weren't considered to have committed a crime, according to the Journal. Those who qualify but fail to register could be fined up to $5,000 and sentenced to up to six months in prison.
The administration's plans rely on provisions of immigration law that have proved impractical to enforce, according to the Journal. Pursuing cases against alleged offenders could tie up prosecutorial resources and swell the prison population, and illegal immigrants rarely have the means to pay such hefty fines, experts told the Journal.
A law passed in 1940 created an immigrant registry to catch suspected communists, and the government aired TV ads reminding all immigrants, including permanent residents, to register annually at local post offices, the Journal reported. By the 1960s, the government decided it was too costly and provided little benefit.
Trump's planned registry would require anyone in the country illegally who hasn't interacted with the government, such as by applying for asylum or a work permit, to come forward. The administration plans to create a registration form and give them 30 days to complete it after the registry is established, the Journal reported.
In an Inauguration Day executive order from Trump, the government was directed to set up a registration process. The next day, the Department of Justice ordered U.S. attorneys' offices to give priority to prosecuting cases involving an immigrant's failure to register.
President George W. Bush created a similar immigration registry after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, when his administration required men and boys from predominantly Muslim countries to submit photographs and fingerprints to the federal government, the Journal reported. Tens of thousands of people who registered under that program were arrested and deported.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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