DHS Reminds Illegal Immigrants to Comply With Registration Mandate Before Deadline

Failure to register, the agency said, is a criminal offense punishable by fines, imprisonment, or both.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security in Washington on Aug. 12, 2024. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is reminding those in the United States illegally to register with the government, following a legal victory that cleared the path for the policy to move forward.

In a statement issued April 11, the DHS announced that individuals who have been in the country for more than 30 days must register with the federal government by the end of the day or face potential legal consequences.

Under the policy, once someone registers and is fingerprinted, the government will issue a proof of registration, which all noncitizens aged 18 and older must carry at all times. Those who enter the country on or after April 11, 2025, will have 30 days from their arrival to complete the process.

For that purpose, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service has introduced a new form—G-325R—and an online portal that allows unregistered noncitizens to submit their information.

The agency says individuals such as those who have applied for or already obtained permanent residency, those admitted as nonimmigrants, those with valid work authorization, or those undergoing deportation proceedings do not have to file the form.

Failure to register, DHS stated, is a criminal offense punishable by fines, imprisonment, or both.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said the measure is a continuation of long-standing federal law. Such mandates can be traced back to the early days of World War II, when noncitizens were ordered to register with the government at their local post offices.

That requirement was later incorporated into the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 and has been invoked at moments of extraordinary national security concerns—most notably after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, when the George W. Bush administration implemented a registration program for noncitizen men hailed from 25 Muslim-majority countries.

On the first day of his second term, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to enforce the 1952 statute, citing “significant threats to national security and public safety” posed by individuals unlawfully present in the United States.

The registration policy on Thursday withstood a court challenge brought by a coalition of immigration advocacy groups. In their complaint filed March 31 at a federal court in Washington, the groups argued that the DHS rule marks a drastic departure from the department’s typical approach and would cause “confusion, fear, and significant economic disruption.”

“[DHS’s] attempt to rush through these sweeping changes without any meaningful explanation for the change in policy and without the notice, public comment, and careful consideration that Congress requires to avoid exactly these types of harms,” the complaint argued.

Judge Trevor Neil McFadden of the District of Columbia ruled in favor of the administration, which argued that it is merely enforcing a long-neglected law. His decision did not delve deeply into the merits of either side’s arguments, but instead focused on whether the groups challenging the policy had standing to sue in the first place.

The alleged harms suffered by the coalition’s members are “highly speculative, sounding in prospective fears about what might happen when the rule takes effect,” he wrote, adding that they failed to show why a “mere requirement to abide by the law” constitutes a concrete harm.

In the meantime, DHS continues to encourage illegal immigrants to deport themselves using the CBP Home app, a repurposed version of the CBP One app that was formerly used to schedule appointments for potential parolees in Mexico. The app now includes a “self-deportation” feature that allows users to declare their intent to leave the United States.

“President Trump and I 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,” Noem said in the April 11 statement. “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.”