A federal judge upheld the Trump Administration’s requirement for undocumented immigrants to register themselves as such with the federal government, and to carry registration documents.
This policy mirrors tactics used in the U.S. during World War II and post 9/11.
On Tuesday, five leaders from immigrant rights organizations across the country spoke in a virtual press event and shared their disapproval.
Murad Awawdeh, the president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition and a Co-Chair of the Fair Immigration Reform Movement, discussed his frustration with the new policy.
“This rule echoes some of the darkest chapters in the U.S. and global history,” Awawdeh said. “[It] is reminiscent of race and nationally based registration systems that have been used to criminalize and marginalize entire communities, resulting in internment and concentration camps.”
Awadeh was referring to the Alien Registration Act of 1940, which was enacted during World War II. Heavy surveillance and fear of immigrant communities eventually led to Japanese Americans being taken to internment camps. Some of those incarcerated there were American citizens.
Similar policies also targeted the Muslim community after the terror attacks of 9/11. Non-citizen men aged 16 or older from 25 countries, most of which had Muslim-majority populations, were required to register with the U.S. government.
Awawdeh fears that the registration process Trump seeks will lead to a surveillance state, referring specifically to the post- 9/11 targeting of Muslims in the U.S. He said we must not let history repeat itself.
Some of those who spoke expressed skepticism that people who are vulnerable to being deported will willingly sign themselves up for a registry.
Nicole Melaku, the executive director of the National Partnership for New Americans, described Trump’s recent wave of anti-immigrant policies as “a misguided effort.”
Melaku described the administration as having what she called an “insatiable appetite for human suffering.”
Across the board, these leaders urged Congress to oppose the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
“We are not at a time of war, and immigrants are not the enemy,” said Tessa Petit, the executive director of the Florida Immigrant Coalition.
These leaders also encourage undocumented people in the U.S. to know their rights and to seek legal guidance.