Migrants Criminally Charged After Failing To Register With U.S. Government

immigration — Border Patrol agent Sarah Marines takes the fingerprints of a migrant at the Paso del Norte port of entry in El Paso on June 30, 2023. (Danielle Villasana /For The Washington Post)

By Jeremy Roebuck and Marianne LeVine

The Justice Department is wielding a little-known law to criminally charge unauthorized immigrants who have failed to register their presence in the country, threatening them with potential jail time and fines under a new Trump administration initiative.

The first prosecutions came just days after authorities on April 11 resurrected a federal registration requirement, used during World War II, to meet the goals of an executive order from President Donald Trump. Administration officials described the regulation, which mandates that people 14 and older provide fingerprints and home addresses, as a national security precaution that will allow authorities to more closely track the whereabouts of millions of immigrants in the United States.

But the Justice Department’s early attempts to win convictions against those who fail to register have faced skepticism and defeats before some federal judges. And the initiative has been met with sharp opposition from immigrant advocates, who warn that registering with the government could expose migrants to a greater risk of deportation.

Since April 11, when the Department of Homeland Security established a new immigrant registration form, prosecutors have used a statute created in 1940 to charge dozens of people across the country with failing to sign up — a misdemeanor offense punishable by up to six months in prison and $5,000 in fines.

Continue reading

Disclaimer

The information contained in South Florida Reporter is for general information purposes only.
The South Florida Reporter assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions in the contents of the Service.
In no event shall the South Florida Reporter be liable for any special, direct, indirect, consequential, or incidental damages or any damages whatsoever, whether in an action of contract, negligence or other tort, arising out of or in connection with the use of the Service or the contents of the Service. The Company reserves the right to make additions, deletions, or modifications to the contents of the Service at any time without prior notice.
The Company does not warrant that the Service is free of viruses or other harmful components