Trump’s Migrant Registry Starts Today
House Democrats call for the rule to be rescinded, warning of racial profiling and legal overreach as DHS implements the directive nationwide.
WASHINGTON — A controversial rule requiring undocumented migrants to register with the federal government and submit biometric data takes effect Friday, triggering swift condemnation from House Democrats led by Reps. Delia Ramirez of Illinois and Adriano Espaillat of New York.
In a letter sent Thursday to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Acting Director Kika Scott, Ramirez, Espaillat, and 29 other lawmakers blasted the policy as unconstitutional and racially discriminatory, warning it would “create essentially a nation-wide ‘show-me-your-papers’ regime.”
The interim final rule (IFR), first published March 12, invokes the Alien Registration Act of 1940 to require noncitizens age 14 and older who remain in the United States for more than 30 days — and who have not otherwise begun formal immigration processes — to register with the government and be fingerprinted. Failure to comply could result in criminal penalties.
“The rule, as written…