All visitors to the United States of America are now strictly required to register themselves with the federal government under the country’s Alien Registration Requirement if they intend to stay in the country for 30 days or longer. The policy came into effect on April 11.
According to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), visitors who are 14 years old or older, must be fingerprinted and registered.
The policy has its roots in the 1940 Alien Registration Act which required immigrants to similarly register with the federal government. In 1952, immigration laws were further expanded under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). The current mandate, implemented under section 262 of the INA, requires visitors to compulsorily fill out the new Alien Registration Form issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
While the requirement to submit fingerprints has been in place since Word War 2, some point out that it has not been consistently enforced. US media has also highlighted how the INA has its roots in Cold War era policies and political surveillance.
Presently, the Donald Trump administration has said that failure to comply with the policy will be considered a crime punishable by fines, imprisonment or both. “You will be arrested, fined, deported, never to return to our country again,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.