WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is creating a registry for all people who are in the United States illegally, and those who don’t self-report could face fines or prosecution, immigration officials announced Tuesday.
Everyone who is in the U.S. illegally must register, give fingerprints and provide an address, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement. It cited a section of the Immigration and Nationality Act — the complex immigration law — as justification for the registration process, which would apply to anyone 14 and older.
The announcement comes as the administration seeks to make good on campaign promises to carry out mass deportations of people in the country illegally and seal the border to future asylum-seekers.
“An alien’s failure to register is a crime that could result in a fine, imprisonment, or both,” the statement said. “For decades, this law has been ignored — not anymore.”
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 related to immigration, President Donald Trump initially outlined plans for creating a registry and required that Homeland Security “immediately announce and publicize information about the legal obligation of all previously unregistered aliens in the United States to comply.”
It was not immediately clear how many people living in the country illegally would voluntarily come forward and give the federal government information about who they are and where they’re living. But failure to register would be considered a crime, and the administration has said its initial priority target for deportation is people who’ve committed crimes in the U.S.
The National Immigration Law Center, an immigration advocacy group, said in a posting on its website before the Tuesday night announcement that “the Alien Registration Act of 1940 is the only time the U.S. government carried out a comprehensive campaign to require all noncitizens to register.”
The organization said under that process, people had to go to their local post office to register, and the goal was to identify “potential national security threats broadly characterized as communist or subversive.”
The group warned that the registry was meant to help find potential targets for deportation.
“Any attempt by the Trump administration to create a registration process for noncitizens previously unable to register would be used to identify and target people for detention and deportation,” the organization said.
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Trump admin to launch mandatory online registry of illegal immigrants with names, fingerprints and home addresses
The Trump administration reportedly plans to roll out an online registry of illegal immigrants as early as this week that would force undocumented migrants to submit personal information or face fines and arrest.
The mandatory registry would require illegal immigrants, including minors over the age of 14, to submit fingerprints and home addresses, according to US Citizens and Immigration Services.
Migrants who fail to register could be fined as much as $5,000 and be sentenced to up to six months in prison, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.
“Aliens in this country illegally face a choice,” read a memo from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on the incoming policy. “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 President Trump’s effort to bolster the nation’s immigration laws and enforcement.
Under the current rules, migrants in the country illegally are committing a civil offense, rather than a criminal one, but could still be detained and deported.
The registry aims to get illegal immigrants who haven’t had interactions with the government, such as by seeking asylum or a work permit, on the Department of Homeland Security’s radar.
Illegal migrants will have 30 days to submit their personal information once the registration website is up and running, according to documents viewed by the Wall Street Journal.
“Once an alien has registered and appeared for fingerprinting (unless waived), DHS will issue evidence of registration, which aliens over the age of 18 must carry and keep in their possession at all times,” read a notice on the US Citizens and Immigration Services website posted Tuesday.
“It is the legal obligation of all unregistered aliens (or previously registered children who turn 14 years old) in the United States to comply with these requirements,” the notice continues. “Failure to comply will result in criminal and civil penalties, up to and including misdemeanor prosecution and the payment of fines.”
Trump’s Day One executive order – Protecting the American People Against Invasion – directed DHS to set up the registry under section 262 of the Immigration and Nationality Act and “ensure that failure to comply is treated as a civil and criminal enforcement priority.”
“Most aliens in the United States have already registered, as required by law,” according to US Citizens and Immigration Services. “However, a significant number of aliens present in the United States have had no direct way in which to register and meet their obligation under INA 262.”
“In order that unregistered aliens may comply with their duty under INA 262, USCIS is establishing a new form and process by which they may register. No alien will have an excuse for failure to comply with this law.”
The agency notes that “registration is not an immigration status, and registration documentation does not establish employment authorization or any other right or benefit under the INA or any other US law.”
There is precedent for creating such a registry.
In 1940, the US government required all immigrants to register annually in an effort to snuff out suspected communists. The registry proved too costly to maintain and fell into disuse by the 1960s, according to the Journal.
Former President George W. Bush also created an immigration registry in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
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JUST IN: Trump Orders ‘Massive’ Federal Downsizing In Directive To Agencies
The Trump administration has issued a sweeping directive ordering all federal agencies to prepare for significant staff and resource reductions. Reorganization plans are due no later than March 13.
A newly released memorandum from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) outlines President Donald Trump’s push for “maximum elimination” of non-essential government functions, calling for deep cuts to bloated federal bureaucracy.
The directive is part of Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Workforce Optimization Initiative, launched under an executive order signed on February 11. The order demands agencies “eliminate waste, bloat, and insularity” while increasing efficiency and reducing costs.
Key objectives outlined in the memorandum include:
- Cutting full-time government jobs deemed unnecessary.
- Closing or consolidating regional field offices.
- Implementing a hiring freeze, where only one new employee may be hired for every four departures.
- Reducing the federal government’s real estate footprint.
- Slashing budgets and cutting reliance on outside contractors.
According to the memo, agencies must “undertake large-scale reductions in force (RIFs)” to shrink the size of government and deliver “better service for the American people.” The move aligns with Trump’s 2024 campaign pledge to drain the swamp and overhaul a federal workforce he has long criticized as corrupt and inefficient.
The directive also warns agencies against maintaining “non-critical positions” and emphasizes the importance of using automation and technology to replace bureaucratic inefficiencies. With a strict March 13 deadline, agency heads are expected to submit their downsizing blueprints for review by the OMB and OPM.
Budget Director Russell Vought and Charles Ezell, the acting director of the Office of Personnel Management, communicated in the memo to agency leaders that the federal government is “costly, inefficient, and deeply in debt.”
They wrote, “At the same time, it is not producing results for the American public. Instead, tax dollars are being siphoned off to fund unproductive and unnecessary programs that benefit radical interest groups while hurting hardworking American citizens.”
The Trump administration’s reorganization plan includes mandatory job cuts through attrition, terminations, and position eliminations, targeting unnecessary or redundant positions. A strict hiring freeze will also be enforced, allowing no more than one new hire for every four departures as part of an effort to curb workforce expansion.
The administration is pushing for the closure and consolidation of federal offices, particularly those located outside Washington, D.C., in a move aimed at reducing operational costs. To further streamline government efficiency, union contracts will be renegotiated to eliminate inefficiencies and increase employee accountability.
Another major shift includes the potential relocation of government offices from D.C. to lower-cost regions, reducing overhead expenses and decentralizing federal operations. Agencies will also conduct a thorough review of “essential” employees, determining which roles remain protected and who can be removed under the administration’s workforce reduction strategy.
The plan’s second phase, due by April 14, will build on these initial cuts, focusing on further downsizing, agency eliminations, and potential relocations to reshape the federal government for long-term efficiency.
Despite recent pushback, the Trump administration is moving full speed ahead, setting the stage for one of the most significant shake-ups in Washington in decades.
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