All foreigners over 14 who will be more than 30 days in the United States and who have not been registered by US authorities when obtaining their visa must register, as of this Friday, April 11, in a registry of the Department of National Security (DHS).
The obligation, under penalty of a fine of US $ 5,000 and up to six months in prison, is the result of the executive order issued on January 20 by US President Donald Trump, called protecting the US people against the invasion, which reactives a law of 1940.
The decree also forces foreigners to carry at all times a proof of their registration in the registry.
The mandatory registration entered into force after, on Thursday night, federal judge Trevor Neil McFadden rejected the objections presented by several organizations, such as American Immigration Council, who alleged that the text of the decree is “confusing” and “chaotic.”
Foreigners affected by the measure can register online through form G-325R of the United States citizenship and immigration service (USCIS).
According to USCIS, Section 262 of the Immigration and Nationality Law (INA) requires that “all 14 -year -old foreigners or more who have not been registered or have taken the fingerprints (if required) when requesting an American visa and remaining in the United States for 30 days or more, they must request their registration and take a fingerprints”.
“Similarly, parents or legal guardians of children under 14 must ensure that these minors are registered. In the 30 days to turn 14, all foreigners who have already been previously registered must request their re -registration and the taking of fingerprints,” added USCIS.
The registration involves the opening of a personal account with the United States citizenship and immigration service and includes fingerprints and photographs.
The measure affects, above all, millions of undocumented people who must now decide whether they are registered in the registry and provide their fingerprints and other personal data, or if they face fines and possible penalties in jail.
Among those affected are also many of the almost one million Canadians who, every year, spend several months in the south of the United States to escape the rigors of Canadian winter. These are the so -called snowbirds, who usually enter by land without visa.
The defense organizations of the undocumented rights have indicated that the objective of the registration is to press immigrants to leave the country on their own, since the registration will provide the government with data that will facilitate their expulsion. Some legal activists and experts have indicated that undocumented persons in the US should not register, considering Trump’s executive order as “unconstitutional”, although Judge McFadden’s decision on Thursday could change that opinion.