Congresswoman Ramirez, CHC Chair Espaillat, 26 Members of Congress Demand DHS Ends its Immigration Registry

Washington, DC — Today, as Trump’s immigration registry program starts, Congresswoman Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03) and Hispanic Caucus Chair Congressman Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) led 26 members of Congress in condemning the administration's unconstitutional and racially discriminatory registration rule. The “Alien Registration Form and Evidence of Registration,” takes effect today, April 11, 2025, and requires some undocumented migrants to register with the federal government. The Trump administration has signaled it will use registry information to advance their mass deportation agenda.

Ramirez, Espaillat, Members of Congress, and experts are raising the alarm that the policy would “create essentially a nation-wide ‘show-me-your-papers’ regime.” In a detailed letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Acting Director Kika Scott, the members of Congress oppose the rule because:

• Undermines constitutional protections and will lead to racial profiling of legal residents
• Impacts the economic and workforce participation in communities
• Enforces an outdated policy in contradiction to current immigration law and policy
• Lacks meaningful feedback from community members and experts

“The rule, as written, raises serious constitutional concerns, fails to adequately address privacy protections, and does not seriously consider the costs imposed on federal, state, and local governments as a result of its implementation and enforcement,” wrote the members of Congress. “We highly condemn this Interim Final Rule and aim to work with our colleagues to establish adequate guardrails to ensure the rights and liberties afforded to every individual in the U.S. by the Constitution are protected and respected [...] We call on the Department of Homeland Security to immediately rescind this IFR and abandon plans to develop a new registration process.”

While Congressional offices cannot provide legal counsel or advice, Ramirez encourages immigrants to consult with a trusted immigration attorney to understand the risks registration might present for them. They can reach out to Immigrant Rights Groups, like ICIRR at 1-855-HELP-MY-FAMILY and learn more about their rights at NILC.org (Know Your Rights: Trump’s Registration Requirement for Immigrants - NILC).

For the full letter, CLICK HERE.