A federal judge ruled that illegal immigrants must register with the federal government.
“Plaintiffs have not shown that they are likely to succeed on the merits,” D.C. U.S. District Court Judge Trevor McFadden ruled. “They have failed to demonstrate that they have standing to bring this suit.” McFadden noted in the decision that requiring immigrants to register is a practice dating back to 1940 under the Alien Registration Act.
The ruling stands in support of President Donald Trump’s January executive order directing DHS to ensure illegal immigrants comply with the requirement to register under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).
April 11 is the registration deadline for those who have been in the United States for more than 30 days.
Under the INA, it is the legal obligation of all unregistered illegal migrants, or previously registered migrants who turned 14 years old and are present in the United States for 30 days, to be registered and fingerprinted. “Failure to comply may result in criminal and civil penalties, up to and including misdemeanor prosecution, the imposition of fines, and incarceration,” the U.S. Citizenship and Immigrant Services explained.
“President Trump and I 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,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement. “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.”
