Trump Admin's New Immigrant 'Registry' Presents Migrants With Choice: Hand Over Fingerprints or Risk Imprisonment

The Trump administration has announced an initiative aimed at registering all undocumented immigrants in the country whose data the government doesn't have, and is threatening to impose penalties to those who don't comply, including prison time.

The decision, spearheaded by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), applies to all migrants who are 14 years of age or older who have been in the country for over 30 days. It requires filling an online form called "Alien Registration Requirement" and clarifies that parents of those younger than 14 must make sure they are registered as well.

"Once an alien 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," reads a passage of the requirement, published in the USCIS website. It clarifies that 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."

According to CBS News, the initiative is a way to encourage undocumented immigrants to self-deport by enforcing a law that had been ignored by previous administrations, both Democratic and Republican.

"President Trump and Secretary (Kristi) Noem have a clear message for those in our country illegally: leave now," said DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin "If you leave now, you may have the opportunity to return and enjoy our freedom and live the American dream."

The measure aligns with immigration restriction advocates who support the self-deportation theory, closely tied to conservative policy proposals that aim to complicate the lives of undocumented citizens living in the country in order to get them to leave—such as taking away access to public education for undocumented children and checking for identification documents during routine encounters with the public.

According to Ira Mehlam, spokesman of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, immigrants are rational actors who will leave if the risks outweigh the benefits. "[Undocumented immigrants] are very rational people. You have to convince people who come on their own to leave on their own," he said.

That premise, however, is put into question by a collection of studies cited by the American Immigration Council (AIC), which show that undocumented immigrants usually have a lot more to lose by self-deporting, including homes, jobs, and families. According to the Pew Hispanic Center, more than one-third of all undocumented immigrants own a home in the United States.

While self-deportation numbers are difficult to obtain, the American Immigration Council (AIC) claims such cases are rare. To back its claim, it cited studies analyzing immigration populations in states with a history of strong enforcement laws such as Arizona, Alabama, and Oklahoma. "The immigrant population in these states has remained in place and the predicted exodus never materialized," reads a passage of one of the studies.

The AIC also highlighted the results of "Operation Scheduled Departure," a 2008 ICE operation aimed at promoting self-deportation. The pilot program, which was promoted through Univision, offered voluntary deportation without detention. ICE even offered to cover the costs of return for eligible participants.