“But even if it doesn’t actually accomplish much in terms of deporting more people, it sends a signal to the American people that ”We’re cracking down on immigrants," and it will also heighten the fear immigrants already have about what’s going on," said Stephen Yale-Loehr, a longtime immigration law scholar and retired Cornell Law School professor.
“The Trump administration will enforce all our immigration laws — we will not pick and choose which laws we will enforce," Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.
Here are some details about the registry — the latest in a string of Trump administration moves related to campaign promises to crack down on illegal immigration and deport millions living in the country illegally:.
But legal scholars say the practical consequences may not matter, as people already living below the legal radar are unlikely to register, which would make them far easier to deport.
Immigration officials say anyone living in the U.S. illegally will soon have to register with the federal government, and those who don't could face fines, imprisonment or both.
