Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem has announced a new initiative: a registry for illegal immigrants in the United States that will require fingerprinting, Fox News reports. Noem stated that this action is intended to enforce existing immigration law and encourage undocumented immigrants to leave the country voluntarily for their own sake as well as that of Americans.
According to Noem, the DHS will finally be enforcing the Immigration and Nationality Act, originally enacted in 1952, after it had been ignored by the previous administration. This act provides tools to track undocumented immigrants and encourage their departure from the U.S. The DHS stated that those who fail to register, get fingerprinted, or notify the government of address changes could face criminal penalties, including fines and imprisonment.
A DHS spokesperson, Tricia McLaughlin, emphasized the administration’s stance that those in the country illegally should leave while noting that they may have the opportunity to return legally in the future if they do so.
“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,” McLaughlin said, according to Fox News. “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.”
The DHS is directing immigrants living in the country illegally to go to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website for instructions on how to register.
This announcement follows a prior warning from Noem, delivered on behalf of President Trump, to those considering entering the U.S. illegally in which she firmly asserted that those who break U.S. laws would be pursued.
“Let me deliver a message from President Trump to the world. If you are considering entering America illegally, don’t even think about it,” Noem said. “Let me be clear. If you come to our country, and you break our laws, we will hunt you down. Criminals are not welcome in the United States. For too long, weak leadership has left our borders wide open, flooding our communities with drugs, human trafficking, and violent criminals. Well, those days are over.”
Noem, one of the first members of the Trump administration to be confirmed by the Senate, is leading the DHS during a period when border security and illegal immigration are high priorities. The Trump administration has already taken several steps to address these issues, including deploying the military to the border, resuming construction of a border wall, and ending certain parole programs that were in place under the Biden administration.
