The Trump administration is planning to make undocumented immigrants sign up for a federal registry. Those who fail to sign up could face fines, prison time, or deportation. This move is part of President Trump's broader immigration enforcement efforts. The rule is based on a 1940 law designed to identify people involved in activities that could threaten the US government. 

“The Trump administration will enforce all our immigration laws — we will not pick and choose which laws we will enforce,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement on Tuesday. Any foreigner 14 years of age or older who has not yet had their fingerprints taken or registered by the US government is required to join the registry and update their current address if they have been in the country for more than 30 days to comply with the new requirement. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, former President George W. Bush introduced a registration system for certain visa holders. 

This system, called the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS), applied to males aged 16 and older from 25 countries. Except for one, all these countries had a Muslim-majority population. During his current administration, Trump has promised to implement the most extensive deportation program in American history. Authorities deported people to Central and South America using military aircraft and made over 10,000 arrests in his first two weeks in office.  

The number of arrests has decreased, causing frustration within the administration and leading to several leadership changes at Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Some planned arrest operations have been leaked, and migrant advocates have started campaigns to inform migrants about their rights.