Washington: A federal judge has given the green light to a Trump administration policy requiring immigrants living in or entering the United States illegally to register with the federal government or face potential fines and imprisonment.
The ruling, issued Thursday by U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden in Washington, dismisses a legal challenge from several advocacy organizations, including the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights and United Farm Workers of America. Judge McFadden, who was appointed during Donald Trump’s first term, determined that the plaintiffs lacked the legal standing necessary to sue.
“As organizations, many of their harms are too speculative, and they have failed to show that the Rule will erode their core missions,” McFadden wrote in the court decision.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) rule, set to take effect on Friday, will require undocumented immigrants who have not yet registered to do so through a new government portal. Those who fail to comply and do not carry proper registration documents could face criminal charges.
Nicholas Espiritu, deputy legal director at the National Immigration Law Center, which represents the plaintiffs, criticized the ruling, stating it places immigrants in a dangerous position.
He called the decision “disappointing,” adding it would “force people into an impossible choice between registering and risking immediate deportation, or refusing and facing penalties.”
The White House and the Department of Homeland Security have not yet commented on the decision.
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While U.S. law has historically included a requirement for immigrants to register, enforcement has been inconsistent. The newly enforced rule is part of Donald Trump’s broader immigration agenda, which has prioritized cracking down on illegal immigration and expediting deportations.
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The decision arrives amid continued legal battles over Trump-era immigration policies. On the same day, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the administration in a separate case, ordering the government to assist in returning a man who was wrongfully deported to El Salvador.
