A federal judge sided with the Trump administration Thursday, clearing the way for a policy that requires people in the U.S. illegally to register with the federal government and marking another win for the White House in its crackdown on illegal immigration.
District Court Judge Trevor N. McFadden ruled against a coalition of immigration advocacy organizations in a filing, allowing the Trump administration to put the requirement into effect Friday.
McFadden said the coalition “failed to show” their arguments had a “substantial likelihood of standing” after the advocacy organizations said the rule lacked clarity over what types of immigrants would already be considered as registered.
The plaintiffs also argued the Department of Homeland Security published the rule without allowing for sufficient public comment.
The requirement will apply to non-citizens aged 14 or older who lack the legal status to live in the U.S. and says those who do not self-register could be hit with fines or prosecuted.
The Trump administration argued it was seeking to enforce a pre-existing requirement for people in the country illegally to register.
Those who register under the rule, which also applies to Canadians in the U.S. for over a month, are required to provide fingerprints and an address.
The Department of Homeland Security has previously said lawful permanent residents, non-immigrant visa holders, migrants who have been issued an employment authorization document and “aliens paroled into the U.S.” are already registered with the government.
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The Department of Homeland Security announced the incoming rule in February, with the agency’s secretary, Kristi Noem, saying she will use the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 to “track illegal aliens and compel them to leave the country voluntarily.” The act’s requirement that those illegally in the U.S. register with the government has rarely been enforced, according to the Associated Press, which noted immigration advocates have said the act has not been universally used since it was introduced. The rule is part of the Trump administration’s larger immigration crackdown, which has involved erroneous deportations, detainments of green card-holding international students and contested deportation flights.
Trump Admin Will Require Undocumented Immigrants To Register Or Face Penalties—Here’s What To Know (Forbes)
Judge allows requirement that everyone in the US illegally must register to move forward (Associated Press)
