DHS registration order affects 400,000 Illinoisans
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Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem at a Cabinet meeting. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Last week, the Trump administration ordered all undocumented people in the U.S. to register with the Department of Homeland Security or face criminal penalties.
Why it matters: Illinois is home to an estimated 400,000 unauthorized immigrants whose presence here constitutes a civil, not criminal, violation. This order may force them to choose between criminal charges for not registering or registration followed by deportation.
What they're saying: DHS secretary Kristi Noem told Fox News last week that those who comply with the order "can avoid criminal charges and fines and we will help them relocate right back to their home country."
Between the lines: The order stands in contrast to border czar Tom Homan's plan for ICE to focus deportations on "the worst of the worst" rather than undocumented people with no criminal record.
Case in point: ICE officials have, so far, failed to show how many individuals they apprehended in Illinois during January raids had criminal records.
On Jan. 31, Axios filed an open records request to ICE seeking the names and criminal records of Illinois arrestees. The agency has yet to deliver the data.
State of play: Homan continues to threaten sanctuary cities, and last week Acero Charter Network officials reported that a parent was apprehended during school drop-off.
- Yet Axios analyses show no significant spikes in arrests or removals in the first weeks of the deportation campaign.
What's next: Noem says an official registration form will soon be posted on a DHS site and potential registrants should start creating a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services profile.
- Immigrant advocacy groups, including the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, tell Axios they're currently "urging people to wait until we have more clarity."
What we are watching: Whether Noem seeks to classify those who don't comply with the registration order as de facto criminals.