The Trump administration announced yesterday it will enforce a provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act that requires all undocumented immigrants age 14 or older who remain in the United States for 30 days or longer to register and be fingerprinted or face potential criminal prosecution and civil penalties.
Parents or guardians of undocumented children under age 14 are required by the law to ensure that their children are registered.
Once a person is registered and has appeared for fingerprinting, the Department of Homeland Security will issue evidence of registration, which the registered person must carry and keep in their possession at all times.
President Donald Trump, in one of the 35 executive orders he signed on his first day in office, titled “Protecting the American People Against Invasion,” directed the Secretary of Homeland Security to enforce the registration provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
The registration requirements of the Immigration and Nationality Act, first enacted in 1940, have not been regularly enforced.
“For decades, this law has been ignored—not anymore,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a press release yesterday. “An alien’s failure to register is a crime that could result in a fine, imprisonment, or both,” the press release said.
Enforcing this requirement is part of a broader effort to “compel illegal aliens to self-deport,” DHS said.
Registration is one of “multiple tools” created by the Immigration and Nationality Act “to track illegal aliens and compel them to leave the country voluntarily,” the DHS press release said.
“Compelling mass self-deportation is a safer path for aliens and law enforcement, and saves U.S. taxpayer dollars, in addition to conserving valuable Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) resources needed to keep Americans safe,” DHS said in the press release.
“President Trump and Secretary Noem 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,” DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin 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,” McLaughlin said.
According to the DHS website, this registration effort does not apply to people who have been issued documents designated as evidence of registration, including:
- Lawful permanent residents;
- Aliens paroled into the United States under INA 212(d)(5), even if the period of parole has expired;
- Aliens admitted to the United States as nonimmigrants who were issued Form I-94 or I-94W (paper or electronic), even if the period of admission has expired;
- All aliens present in the United States who were issued immigrant or nonimmigrant visas prior to arrival;
- Aliens whom DHS has placed into removal proceedings;
- Aliens issued an employment authorization document;
- Aliens who have applied for lawful permanent residence using Forms I-485, I-687, I-691, I-698, I-700, even if the applications were denied; and,
- Aliens issued Border Crossing Cards.
DHS will have an online registration process available soon, according to its website.
DHS did not say how the law will be enforced if people do not voluntarily comply with its provisions.
Mass deportation, whether forced or voluntary, would have big impacts on local communities and the local economy in particular.
There are no reliable estimates of the size of the undocumented immigrant population in the local area. The Migration Policy Institute, which analyzes U.S. Census Bureau data from the American Community Survey estimates that there are 50,000 unauthorized residents in Suffolk County, roughly 10% of the county’s total population.
MPI estimates that 69% of the undocumented population age 16 and over is employed with 27% not in the labor force.
According to MPI estimates, the top industries of employment for undocumented immigrants are:
| Professional, scientific, management, administrative, and waste management services | 22% |
| Construction | 20% |
| Accommodation and food services, arts, entertainment, and recreation | 13% |
| Manufacturing | 11% |
| Retail trade | 8% |
Immigrants make up a significant portion of the local workforce, particularly in the agricultural, landscaping, hospitality and construction sectors.
Over the years, area farmers have repeatedly asked members of Congress representing the First Congressional District, which takes in Suffolk’s East End, to expand and improve the temporary worker nonimmigrant visa program, which they have said is inadequate to meet their needs for laborers.
Year after year, farmers at an annual “breakfast with the congressman” event, previously hosted each spring by the Long Island Farm Bureau, told former representatives Tim Bishop and Lee Zeldin that they’ve had no choice but to rely on undocumented farmworkers to keep their farm operations going.
National estimates of undocumented farmworkers put the number at 40% to 70% of the workforce. No local estimates are available.
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