Trump administration orders illegal immigrants to register

All people aged 14 or older who illegally reside in the United States must register and provide fingerprints, according to guidance from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Parents and guardians will also be required to register younger children, and any previously registered child must resubmit his or her information when they turn 14. Those who follow the requirements will receive evidence of registration which adults must keep in their possession at all times, according to DHS. Those who don’t comply with the rule could face fines or prosecution and the requirement applies to any undocumented person living in the country for more than 30 days.

People who participate in the program will receive assistance to relocate back to their home countries, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told Fox News on Tuesday. They could then have an opportunity to return to the United States by following legal channels, she said. The law behind the guidance has been in place for decades, but Noem said officials have not consistently enforced it.

Has the administration announced any other major immigration-related orders? President Donald Trump on Tuesday said his administration would replace a U.S. investor visa program. He called for an end to the current EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program which allows foreign investors to obtain permanent residence in the United States. Individuals are eligible for the program if they invest between $800,000 and $1,050,000 in an American business that creates 10 or more jobs per investor. Trump wants to replace the program with what he called a gold card costing $5 million, he said during a press conference in the Oval Office. Participants would receive the privileges of a green card a path to citizenship.

Funds collected from the card would be used to pay down the country’s debt, said Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. 

Dig deeper: Read Addie Offereins and Josh Schumacher’s report in Compassion about the Presbyterian Church in America’s Mission to North America apologizing for advising illegal immigrants on how they could avoid authorities.