Category: Trump

Trump’s 2025 Travel Ban

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Trump Administration Bans 19 Countries

SUMMARY OF THE EFFECTED COUNTRIES

Section of OrderThe BanEffected Countries
12 Countries Under a Full Travel Ban in Section 2Ban on all immigrant and non-immigrant visasAfghanistan, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen
7 Countries Under a Partial Travel Ban in Section 3Ban on all immigrant visas and tourist, student, and exchange visitor visas (B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas)Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, Venezuela

From the Executive Order on June 4, 2025

RESTRICTING THE ENTRY OF FOREIGN NATIONALS TO PROTECT THE UNITED STATES FROM FOREIGN TERRORISTS AND OTHER NATIONAL SECURITY AND PUBLIC SAFETY THREATS

Sec. 2.  Full Suspension of Entry for Nationals of Countries of Identified Concern. 

The entry into the United States of nationals of the following countries is hereby suspended and limited, as follows, subject to the categorical exceptions and case-by-case waivers described in section 5 of this proclamation:

(a)  Afghanistan

(i)   The Taliban, a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) group, controls Afghanistan.  Afghanistan lacks a competent or cooperative central authority for issuing passports or civil documents and it does not have appropriate screening and vetting measures.  According to the Fiscal Year 2023 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Entry/Exit Overstay Report (“Overstay Report”), Afghanistan had a business/tourist (B-1/B-2) visa overstay rate of 9.70 percent and a student (F), vocational (M), and exchange visitor (J) visa overstay rate of 29.30 percent.

(ii)  The entry into the United States of nationals of Afghanistan as immigrants and nonimmigrants is hereby fully suspended.

(b)  Burma

(i)   According to the Overstay Report, Burma had a B‑1/B-2 visa overstay rate of 27.07 percent and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 42.17 percent.  Additionally, Burma has historically not cooperated with the United States to accept back their removable nationals.

(ii)  The entry into the United States of nationals of Burma as immigrants and nonimmigrants is hereby fully suspended.

(c)  Chad

(i)   According to the Overstay Report, Chad had a B‑1/B-2 visa overstay rate of 49.54 percent and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 55.64 percent.  According to the Fiscal Year 2022 Overstay Report, Chad had a B-1/B-2 visa overstay rate of 37.12 percent.  The high visa overstay rate for 2022 and 2023 is unacceptable and indicates a blatant disregard for United States immigration laws.  

(ii)  The entry into the United States of nationals of Chad as immigrants and nonimmigrants is hereby fully suspended.

(d)  Republic of the Congo

(i)   According to the Overstay Report, the Republic of the Congo had a B-1/B-2 visa overstay rate of 29.63 percent and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 35.14 percent.

(ii)  The entry into the United States of nationals of the Republic of the Congo as immigrants and nonimmigrants is hereby fully suspended.

(e)  Equatorial Guinea

(i)   According to the Overstay Report, Equatorial Guinea had a B-1/B-2 visa overstay rate of 21.98 percent and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 70.18 percent.

(ii)  The entry into the United States of nationals of Equatorial Guinea as immigrants and nonimmigrants is hereby fully suspended.

(f)  Eritrea

(i)   The United States questions the competence of the central authority for issuance of passports or civil documents in Eritrea.  Criminal records are not available to the United States for Eritrean nationals.  Eritrea has historically refused to accept back its removable nationals.  According to the Overstay Report, Eritrea had a B-1/B-2 visa overstay rate of 20.09 percent and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 55.43 percent.

(ii)  The entry into the United States of nationals of Eritrea as immigrants and nonimmigrants is hereby fully suspended.

(g)  Haiti

(i)   According to the Overstay Report, Haiti had a B‑1/B-2 visa overstay rate of 31.38 percent and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 25.05 percent.  Additionally, hundreds of thousands of illegal Haitian aliens flooded into the United States during the Biden Administration.  This influx harms American communities by creating acute risks of increased overstay rates, establishment of criminal networks, and other national security threats.  As is widely known, Haiti lacks a central authority with sufficient availability and dissemination of law enforcement information necessary to ensure its nationals do not undermine the national security of the United States. 

(ii)  The entry into the United States of nationals of Haiti as immigrants and nonimmigrants is hereby fully suspended.

(h)  Iran

(i)   Iran is a state sponsor of terrorism.  Iran regularly fails to cooperate with the United States Government in identifying security risks, is the source of significant terrorism around the world, and has historically failed to accept back its removable nationals. 

(ii)  The entry into the United States of nationals of Iran as immigrants and nonimmigrants is hereby suspended.

(i)  Libya

(i)   There is no competent or cooperative central authority for issuing passports or civil documents in Libya.  The historical terrorist presence within Libya’s territory amplifies the risks posed by the entry into the United States of its nationals.

(ii)  The entry into the United States of nationals of Libya as immigrants and nonimmigrants is hereby fully suspended.

(j)  Somalia

(i)   Somalia lacks a competent or cooperative central authority for issuing passports or civil documents and it does not have appropriate screening and vetting measures.  Somalia stands apart from other countries in the degree to which its government lacks command and control of its territory, which greatly limits the effectiveness of its national capabilities in a variety of respects.  A persistent terrorist threat also emanates from Somalia’s territory.  The United States Government has identified Somalia as a terrorist safe haven.  Terrorists use regions of Somalia as safe havens from which they plan, facilitate, and conduct their operations.  Somalia also remains a destination for individuals attempting to join terrorist groups that threaten the national security of the United States.  The Government of Somalia struggles to provide governance needed to limit terrorists’ freedom of movement.  Additionally, Somalia has historically refused to accept back its removable nationals.

(ii)  The entry into the United States of nationals of Somalia as immigrants and nonimmigrants is hereby fully suspended.

(k)  Sudan

(i)   Sudan lacks a competent or cooperative central authority for issuing passports or civil documents and it does not have appropriate screening and vetting measures.  According to the Overstay Report, Sudan had a B-1/B-2 visa overstay rate of 26.30 percent and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 28.40 percent. 

(ii)  The entry into the United States of nationals of Sudan as immigrants and nonimmigrants is hereby fully suspended.

(l)  Yemen

(i)   Yemen lacks a competent or cooperative central authority for issuing passports or civil documents and it does not have appropriate screening and vetting measures.  The government does not have physical control over its own territory.  Since January 20, 2025, Yemen has been the site of active United States military operations.

(ii)  The entry into the United States of nationals of Yemen as immigrants and nonimmigrants is hereby fully suspended.

Sec. 3.  Partial Suspension of Entry for Nationals of Countries of Identified Concern.

(a)  Burundi

(i)    According to the Overstay Report, Burundi had a B-1/B-2 visa overstay rate of 15.35 percent and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 17.52 percent. 

(ii)   The entry into the United States of nationals of Burundi as immigrants, and as nonimmigrants on B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas, is hereby suspended.

(iii)  Consular officers shall reduce the validity for any other nonimmigrant visa issued to nationals of Burundi to the extent permitted by law.

(b)  Cuba

(i)    Cuba is a state sponsor of terrorism.  The Government of Cuba does not cooperate or share sufficient law enforcement information with the United States.  Cuba has historically refused to accept back its removable nationals.  According to the Overstay Report, Cuba had a B-1/B-2 visa overstay rate of 7.69 percent and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 18.75 percent.

(ii)   The entry into the United States of nationals of Cuba as immigrants, and as nonimmigrants on B-1, B‑2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas, is hereby suspended.

(iii)  Consular officers shall reduce the validity for any other nonimmigrant visa issued to nationals of Cuba to the extent permitted by law.

(c)  Laos

(i)    According to the Overstay Report, Laos had a B‑1/B-2 visa overstay rate of 34.77 percent and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 6.49 percent.  Laos has historically failed to accept back its removable nationals. 

(ii)   The entry into the United States of nationals of Laos as immigrants, and as nonimmigrants on B-1, B‑2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas, is hereby suspended.

(iii)  Consular officers shall reduce the validity for any other nonimmigrant visa issued to nationals of Laos to the extent permitted by law.

(d)  Sierra Leone

(i)    According to the Overstay Report, Sierra Leone had a B-1/B-2 visa overstay rate of 15.43 percent and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 35.83 percent.  Sierra Leone has historically failed to accept back its removable nationals. 

(ii)   The entry into the United States of nationals of Sierra Leone as immigrants, and as nonimmigrants on B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas is hereby suspended.

(iii)  Consular officers shall reduce the validity for any other nonimmigrant visa issued to nationals of Sierra Leone to the extent permitted by law.

(e)  Togo

(i)    According to the Overstay Report, Togo had a B‑1/B-2 visa overstay rate of 19.03 percent and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 35.05 percent. 

(ii)   The entry into the United States of nationals of Togo as immigrants, and as nonimmigrants on B-1, B‑2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas is hereby suspended.

(iii)  Consular officers shall reduce the validity for any other nonimmigrant visa issued to nationals of Togo to the extent permitted by law.

(f)  Turkmenistan

(i)   According to the Overstay Report, Turkmenistan had a B-1/B-2 visa overstay rate of 15.35 percent and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 21.74 percent. 

(ii)   The entry into the United States of nationals of Turkmenistan as immigrants, and as nonimmigrants on B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas is hereby suspended.

(iii)  Consular officers shall reduce the validity for any other nonimmigrant visa issued to nationals of Turkmenistan to the extent permitted by law.

(g)  Venezuela

(i)    Venezuela lacks a competent or cooperative central authority for issuing passports or civil documents and it does not have appropriate screening and vetting measures.  Venezuela has historically refused to accept back its removable nationals.  According to the Overstay Report, Venezuela had a B‑1/B-2 visa overstay rate of 9.83 percent.

(ii)   The entry into the United States of nationals of Venezuela as immigrants, and as nonimmigrants on B‑1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas is hereby suspended.

(iii)  Consular officers shall reduce the validity for any other nonimmigrant visa issued to nationals of Venezuela to the extent permitted by law.

See the Full Executive Order.

DOJ Sues New York State Attempting to Block the Protect Our Courts Act

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DOJ Sues New York State Attempting to Block the Protect Our Courts Act

New York State has a law called the Protect Our Courts Act that was initially enacted in 2020 which prevents individuals who are participating in a court proceedings from civil arrest while they are attending a court hearing or on their way to or from a hearing (it prevents officers from sitting in the parking lot of the courthouse or outside the courtroom waiting for a person to show up to a scheduled hearing then arresting them when they arrive or as they leave). The purpose of this law, as stated in the bill itself1, “is to facilitate continued access to the justice system and courts by all members of the community without fear of immigration-related consequences.”

What is the Protect Our Courts Act?

The restricts federal enforcement operations at NYS Courts so that all New Yorkers have access to justice. The law does not prevent a person from being arrested. It simply restricts when someone can be arrested while attending a court hearing. Only judicially-signed warrants or orders may be executed in court buildings, and those must be reviewed by the court where a federal officer is seeking to execute the warrant or order. The court will determine the time, place, and method by which the warrant or order may be executed. If someone is civilly arrested in violation of this act, they may file an action in NYS Supreme Court to challenge the arrest. Further, it applies to civil arrests, not criminal arrests. A person with an outstanding felony warrant or a person who commits a crime can still be arrested without any restrictions.

This law was put in place because immigration officials were using NYS Courts as a tool for arresting individuals they believed to have violated civil immigration laws. By arresting New York as they arrived to their scheduled court hearings, immigration officials were essentially excluding immigrants from being able to participate in State Court proceedings or to avail themselves of the State Courts. Immigrants were unable to bring a lawsuit, respond to a lawsuit, challenge a parking ticket, etc. because if they attempted to appear for a hearing as instructed by the Court, immigration officials would be waiting for them and they would be arrested. This affected the entire immigrant population because most of the people who were arrested this way were not even aware that ICE was looking for them. Often times these stemmed from old immigration cases initiated back when they first entered the country many years prior (many from when they were children). The result was that all immigrants in NY had to fear arrest when attempting a State Court hearing, even if they had no reason to believe they had any warrants or were wanted by immigration officials.

This has become an issue now due to President Trump’s aggressive enforcement of immigration laws since taking office. On his first day in office he announced Executive Order 10866, Declaring a National Emergency at the Southern Border, which directs the Department of Homeland of Security to issue guidelines for the safe and effective enforcement of immigration laws around the country, specifically at or near courthouses.

DOJ Lawsuit

On Thursday, June 12, 2025, the United States filed a complaint against the State of New York, challenging the law for it blocking immigration officials from arresting individuals at a New York courthouse. Specifically, the complaint challenges the Protect Our Courts Act because they are alleging that it “purposefully shields dangerous aliens from being lawfully detained at or on their way to or from a courthouse and imposes criminal liability for violations of the shield. This law and accompanying polices violate the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution because they obstruct the execution of federal immigration authorities.” That is according to the official Press Release from the DOJ regarding their filing of this suit.

The DOJ’s press release references “Executive Order 10866, Declaring a National Emergency at the Southern Border, which directs the Department of Homeland of Security to issue guidelines for the safe and effective enforcement of immigration laws around the country, specifically at or near courthouses.” Executive Order 10866 was made by Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1960 and it was titled “Designating the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization as a Public International Organization Entitled To Enjoy Certain Privileges, Exemptions, and Immunities2.” New York’s law does technically “follow” this executive order since it was passed more than a half a century after it, but it seems strange to imply that NYS passed this law in response to Eisenhower’s executive order. Not sure what this is about.

This is the latest in a number of lawsuits the DOJ has filed challenging what they believe to be state interference with immigration enforcement. In May, the DOJ sued several New Jersey cities who had enacted similar policies. Trump’s administration has sued Colorado, Illinois, New York and several cities, including Chicago and Rochester, New York, asserting their policies violate the US constitution or federal law. Illinois, Minnesota and New York also were among 14 states and hundreds of cities and counties recently listed by the Department of Homeland Security as “sanctuary jurisdictions defying federal immigration law” according to the Guardian.

Read the full complaint HERE.

Why This Matters

The Trump administration’s use of Federal Immigration Officers to arrest immigrants at Courthouses is a big problem because it removes immigrants from the legal system in this country. Immigrants are left with no access to justice. Whether its child custody cases, traffic summonses, contract disputes, or minor criminal infractions people have to appear in Court at times to handle important aspects of their lives. If immigrants are not able to attend court hearings for these important matters they are forced to lose by default and they suffer the harms connected to the that.

It can also be used as a weapon to arrest immigrants who are trying to do the right thing by complying with court orders telling them to show up at court. Three US immigration officials told the Associated Press on the condition of anonymity that government attorneys were given the order to start dismissing cases when the immigrants would show up for the now-dismissed-cases on Monday, federal agents would be there waiting to arrest them as they left the courtroom.

This is a problem not only in State Courts but in Federal Courts and most commonly, in Immigration Courts. Immigrants right now are facing a really difficult decision every time they have an immigration check-in or immigration court hearing. Since ICE has been arresting immigrants at they show up for regularly scheduled check-ins and when they arrive for asylum hearing, those immigrants who are following the rules and doing everything they were supposed to do are being punished for doing so. That leads many to think, should I not show-up to my next hearing? Should I skip my next check-in appointment? Why go if you are going to be arrested? Some ask whether it would be better to stop attending court and to wait until Trump is out of office.

Stay tuned for any updates on the case. Read the full complaint HERE.

Footnotes:

  1. https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2019/S425 ↩︎
  2. https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/executive-order-10866-designating-the-southeast-asia-treaty-organization-public ↩︎

SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY, KRISTI NOEM ANNOUNCES CRACKDOWN ON VISA OVERSTAYS

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A statement was published by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stating that ICE, CBP, and USCIS is going to “Ramp Up Crackdown on Visa Overstays Following Boulder Terrorist Attack.” An email blast wen out around noon today with the above-quoted text as the subject line and the below-quote from Secretary Noem.

“There is NO room in the United States for the rest of the world’s terrorist sympathizers. Anyone who thinks they can come to America and advocate for antisemitic violence and terrorism – think again. You are not welcome here. We will find you, deport you, and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.” – Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem

DHS Logo

The body of the email does not provide any additional information about how they will be implementing the crackdown or whether this will impact the issuance of non-immigrant visas beyond overstay issues. It does not provide information on what people who overstayed their visa should do. It just warns, “we will find you, deport you, and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.”

The statement blames President Biden failing to enforce the law, though there is no evidence that visa overstays increased while Biden was in office. Visa overstays spiked dramatically during President Trump’s first term in office during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here are some facts about visa overstays:

  • The largest number of short-term visitor overstays from non-VWP countries came from Venezuela. About 173,000 Venezuelans overstayed during the year — which is about 94 percent of the visitors. This is because the Biden administration has allowed Venezuelans to enter and receive Temporary Protected Status, a designation that includes a work permit.
  • The next largest number of overstays by short-term visitors are citizens of Mexico, with approximately 124,000 overstays, at a rate of 3.5 percent.
  • For the first time, DHS broke down the overstay rates for the three sub-categories of student/exchange visas. Vocational school students had the highest overstay rate of the three (9.1 percent). Exchange visitors overstayed at a rate of 5.6 percent, and university and other traditional students overstayed at a rate of 4.1 percent.  
  • Just over 9,000 citizens of China overstayed on student or exchange visitor visas, representing more than 16 percent of all student/exchange overstays.  
  • The largest number of overstays in the category that includes temporary workers came from Mexico (131,000) and India (5,800).

CBP Eliminates Protections for Pregnant Women, Infants, and Elderly

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On May 5, 2025, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a memo revoking protections for pregnant women, infants, elderly individuals, and individuals with serious medical conditions. CBP had policies in place for these most vulnerable members of our society to ensure their safety and dignity.

The policies included commonsense provisions for providing these vulnerable persons with water to drink. Along with drinking water CBP rescinded its policies to stock diapers and baby formula (which was usually expired) for the infants/newborns and making arrangements to ensure their mothers can breastfeed them. expediting the release of those in medically dangerous situations who should not be held in custody.

The Department of Homeland Security has long struggled to provide adequate medical care to the immigrants in its custody, which has resulted in hundreds of deaths of young, previously healthy men and women, and even children. A Senate Judiciary Report from 2024 revealed widespread dysfunction In 2018 Mariee Juarez was in ICE custody in Dilley, Texas where she began running a 104 degree fever and developed cough, according to an article in the Guardian who interviewed the mother.

In addition to the cough, the 21-month-old toddler was suffering from congestion, diarrhea and vomiting a week after entering Dilley. But the symptoms were not mentioned by medical staff on discharge forms, according to the lawsuit. She was released from the ICE detention center and spent six weeks in the hospital before she succumb to a collapsed lung from the respiratory infection she developed in the detention center where she received no medical treatment. She was one of the seven children who died shortly after release from immigration custody that year.

The detention centers have been found to be unsanitary and dangerous in reports from organizations that inspected them during Trump’s first term in the White House when he previously suspended similar policies regarding the treatment of pregnant women and children in immigration custody. The Chair of the House Oversight Committee that year, Elijah Cummings, called the treatment of migrant children at the facility “government-sponsored child abuse on a grand scale.” Between October 2016 and August 2018, twenty-eight women in ICE custody “may have experienced a miscarriage just prior to, or while in ICE custody” according to an ICE spokeswoman. In 2018 there was also an eight-year-old Guatemalan boy, Felipe Gómez Alonso, who died on Christmas Eve while in ICE custody, and three weeks earlier, a seven-year-old Guatemalan girl, Jakelin Caal Maquin, died in Border Patrol custody according to the New York Times that reported on it at the time.

The memo that rescinds the existing policies did not implement any new policies to replace them other than “All CBP personnel are expected to treat those in Agency custody in a professional and respectful manner.” There will now be no special considerations for pregnant women, babies, elderly, or migrants who are severely ill. The same day the memo was issued a pregnant woman was found lost in the Arizona desert where she had been trying to find her way for two days according to the reports. She was taken to the hospital where she gave birth to a six pound premature baby “under supervision” of ICE officers according to a spokesperson from the Department of Homeland Security.

It not clear why this would be necessary and the spokesperson did not explain. Was the Trump administration concerned that the severely dehydrated woman had to give birth in front of officers because the Trump administration was concerned she might attempt to flee the hospital while in active labor?

These new policies, or the lack of policies, seems to indicate that the administration intends to be even more ruthless this second time around. Critics say the change could further endanger individuals already at risk in immigration detention facilities.

We are only six months into this nightmare and I am afraid the suffering has only just begun.

HUNDREDS DEPORTED WITHOUT ANY DUE PROCESS IN VIOLATION OF COURT ORDER

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What’s Going On?
 ▶   The Trump Administration has deported hundreds of people without them being charged or seeing a Judge.
 ▶   The hundreds of Venezuelans were deported to El Salvador, where the US is paying for them to be jailed without any charges.
 ▶   Venezuelans in the US who’s family members are currently missing are scared their loved ones were swept up in these mass deportations but the Government is not releasing any information.
 ▶   People are disputing the claims that the hundreds who were deported were all “criminal gang members” or that the government could have accurately identified all these men as being gang members.

The Trump administration has rounded up hundreds of men that they allege to be gang members and put them on a plane to El Salvador to be imprisoned in the worst place on a earth. These men are not from El Salvador. The United States is paying El Salvador to take these men and …hold them indefinitely? No one knows what is happening to them.

This is absolute madness. These people are not being charged or being found deportable by an Immigration Judge. When asked about how the administration was able to identify these men as being “savage gang members” the press secretary scolded the reporter who asked saying that the people should trust them to do their job. People should NOT trust them when they make these claims because this administration seems to be built on a foundation of lies. The President has been telling multiple outrageous lies every day.

We should not trust that they managed to accurately identify hundreds of gang members in a 24-48 hour period. We should not be comfortable with a federal government that can grab hundreds of people off of the streets and put them on a plane to a prison in El Salvador without any oversight or due process.

What is really crazy is that this is not the craziest news about US immigration today and it is not the only court order that the Department of Homeland Security violated today.

READ THE FULL STORIES:


▷ U.S. provides no details on identities of deported Venezuelans
▷ Rubio says all deportees had been identified as gang members
▷ A Woman says she spotted her brother in El Salvador prison garb in online images
▷ Other relatives are claiming their innocent family members were deported as gang members
▷ All of this was done in direct defiance of a court order that blocked the deportations for 48 hours

Alien Registration Requirement

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Alien Registration Requirement

On Jan. 20, 2025, President Trump issued the Protecting the American People Against Invasion executive order which directed the Department of Homeland Security to ensure that aliens comply with their duty to register with the government under section 262 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) (8 U.S.C. 1302), and ensure that failure to comply is treated as a civil and criminal enforcement priority.

The INA requires that, with limited exceptions, all immigrants 14 years of age or older who were not fingerprinted or registered when applying for a U.S. visa and who remain in the United States for 30 days or longer, must apply for registration and fingerprinting. Similarly, parents and guardians must ensure that their children below the age of 14 are registered. Within 30 days of reaching his or her 14th birthday, the previously registered alien child must apply for re-registration and to be fingerprinted.

Once an immigrant has registered and appeared for fingerprinting (unless waived), DHS will issue evidence of registration, which aliens over the age of 18 must carry and keep in their possession at all times.

Failure to comply will result in criminal and civil penalties, up to and including misdemeanor prosecution and the payment of fines. Registration is not an immigration status, and registration documentation does not establish employment authorization or any other right or benefit under the INA or any other U.S. law.

When does this take effect?

All immigrants in the US are expected to comply by February 25, 2025. However, USCIS has not yet created a form for registration and at the moment the site with the most up-to-date information instructs immigrants to make a USCIS account in anticipation of a registration form.

screenshot from https://www.uscis.gov/alienregistration

Who must apply for registration

  • All immigrants 14 years of age or older who were not registered and fingerprinted (if required) when applying for a visa to enter the United States and who remain in the United States for 30 days or longer. They must apply before the expiration of those 30 days.
  • The parents and legal guardians of immigrants less than 14 years of age who have not been registered and remain in the United States for 30 days or longer, prior to the expiration of those 30 days.
  • Any immigrant, whether previously registered or not, who turns 14 years old in the United States, within 30 days after their 14th birthday.

Who has already registered?

Many immigrants in the US have already registered. Anyone who has been issued one of the documents designated as evidence of registration under 8 CFR 264.1(b) has registered. Also, anyone who submitted one of the forms designated at 8 CFR 264.1(a) and provided fingerprints (unless waived) and was not issued one of the pieces of evidence designated at 8 CFR 264.1(b), complied with the registration requirement of INA 262. Immigrants who have already registered include:

  • Lawful permanent residents;
  • Immigrants paroled into the United States under INA 212(d)(5), even if the period of parole has expired;
  • Immigrants 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;
  • Immigrants whom DHS has placed into removal proceedings;
  • Immigrants issued an employment authorization document;
  • Immigrants 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,
  • Immigrants issued Border Crossing Cards.

Who is not registered?

Anyone who has not been issued one of the documents designated as evidence of registration under 8 CFR 264.1(b) and has not submitted one of the forms designated at 8 CFR 264.1(a) and provided fingerprints (unless waived) is not registered. Aliens who have not registered include:

  • This includes:
    • Immigrants who are present in the United States without inspection and admission or inspection and parole;
    • Canadian visitors who entered the United States at land ports of entry and were not issued evidence of registration; and,
    • Immigrants who submitted one or more benefit requests to USCIS not listed in 8 CFR 264.1(a), including applications for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or Temporary Protected Status, who were not issued evidence of registration.

How to register

DHS will soon announce a form and process for aliens to complete the registration requirement. Beginning February 25, 2025, immigrants in the US who are required to register should create a USCIS online account in preparation for the registration process.

See our How to Create a USCIS Online Account page for more information. Once the registration process is implemented, immigrants will submit their registration through their USCIS online account.

We will provide details on how to register once they becomes available.  

German soldier examines the documents of an Italian citizen in German occupied Italy
German soldier examines the documents of an Italian citizen in German occupied Italy

Why is this rule being enforced now

This is what is so troubling for many, it seems the new administration wants to enforce this rule by having local police working with ICE to apprehend immigrants who are in the US unlawfully by requiring them to identify and produce proof of their registration when asked. It is difficult to imagine what this will look like in the United States in 2025 but historically any time a country began requiring similar identity documents it was the start of horrendous human rights violations.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit the USCIS website, they have a page with the latest information regarding the alien registration requirement.