LOS ANGELES – About 13.7 million illegal immigrants across the country are panicking as the government demands their personal information.
This past February 25, 2025, the alien registration requirement became finalized as part of the Protecting The American People Against the Invasion executive order which was passed on Jan. 20 of this year as part of President Donald Trump’s first take on the presidential office. The executive order primarily focuses on immigration and how immigration poses a threat to national security — based on the power given to the president through the Constitution and the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.) and section 301 of title 3, Trump has the right to tackle these issues. As such, Trump requires that all immigrants who came to the United States (U.S.) without a visa to register with the government announcing their arrival and carry proof of registration.
The president had assigned the Department of Homeland Security to ensure that all aliens over the age of 14 who reside within the U.S. to be registered. Registration with the U.S. includes taking their fingerprints and providing their information for registration if they had been within the U.S. for 30 days. Those who need to fill out an application must create an USCIS online account. It is important to note registration does not provide any immigrant status. It will not prove work authorization or grant protection from removal.
Those who are not required to register are those who are American Indians born in Canada and entered the United States under section 289 of the INA or members of the Texas Band of Kickapoo Indians that entered the U.S. under the Texas Band of Kickapoo Act. Others include those who entered the county legally and have already registered, such as those with an employment authorization document, border crossing cards or have forms Form 194 or I -94.
The Trump Administration claims that this is not a new law created by Donald Trump, but is a law that can be traced back to the Alien Registration Act of 1940 that they are simply now enforcing. The Act was created in response to fear of immigrants during World War II. At the time, all non-citizens were required to go to the local post office to fill out registration and have their fingerprints taken. The form itself was known as the Form AR-2, which contained questions such as where the person was born, when and where they entered the U.S., physical description, where they currently live, current occupation if applicable and other questions that let the government know their identity
A similar act was the Immigration and Nationality of 1952, which served the same purpose with similar requirements as the current act. The National Security Entry-Exit Registration System, which was set after the events of 9/11, required all non-citizens from 26 countries who were 16 or older to register. Most of these countries were a majority Arab or Muslim, and led to over 13,000 people requiring deportation proceedings. This particular law was created in 2011 and dissolved in 2016, and the Alien Registration Act weakened throughout the years.
If anything, enforcing the law creates fear in the hearts of immigrants, who may believe that giving the government their personal information is the same as signing a removal document — this can be understood considering that revealing where they live makes it easy for the government to locate them if needed. Lawyers and other experts expect that some immigrants will choose not to apply out of fear, as they are choosing between two unfavorable options. Many are likely seeing news about deportations happening in their local communities, and most of them do not have a criminal record.
However, in the long run, they will face other consequences by choosing not to register — if they are asked to show their registration form and do not have it, it can be seen as a criminal offense. This can lead to paying a fine, going to jail, or worst case scenario: both. This may cause trouble if in the future they apply for naturalization and are asked for their registration form, and would have to explain why they don’t have one.
Some experts say that whether the data retrieved from registered individuals is used or not, it is doing its job of creating fear within the nation. Ultimately, Donald Trump is fulfilling his campaign promises to deal with immigration.
