 "US President Donald Trump signs executive order in the White House. File Image / Reuters")
Immigrants in the United States illegally who refuse to register with the federal government may face hefty penalties, incarceration, or both, according to an order released by the Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday.
“The Trump administration will enforce all our immigration laws — we will not pick and choose which laws we will enforce,” a department spokeswoman stated. “We must know who is in our country for the safety and security of our homeland and all Americans.”
All immigrants over the age of 14 who were not fingerprinted or registered when applying for a US visa and who stay in the country for 30 days or more must register and be fingerprinted, according to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services website, where immigrants can register.
According to the website, after an immigrant has registered and been fingerprinted, the Department of Homeland Security will give proof of registration, which immigrants over the age of 18 must have with them at all times.
When President Donald Trump returned to office this month, he proclaimed illegal immigration at the Mexican border a national emergency and ordered the agency to guarantee that immigrants registered with the federal government.
The government has attempted to end the CBP One entry program, which was implemented by the previous Biden administration and let hundreds of thousands of migrants to enter the country lawfully by using an app to make an appointment.