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USA Today
4 days ago
- Politics
- USA Today
The Trump administration is telling immigrants 'Carry your papers.' Here's what to know.
Immigrants have long been required to carry ID proving they're in the US legally, but the rule was not enforced. Until now. Amid the Trump administration's ongoing crackdown on illegal immigration, the nation's immigration service is warning immigrants to carry their green card or visa at all times. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services posted the reminder July 23 on social media: "Always carry your alien registration documentation. Not having these when stopped by federal law enforcement can lead to a misdemeanor and fines." Here's what immigrants – and American citizens – need to know. 'Carry your papers' law isn't new The law requiring lawful immigrants and foreign visitors to carry their immigration documents has been on the books for decades, dating to the 1950s. The Immigration and Nationality Act states: "Every alien, eighteen years of age and over, shall at all times carry with him and have in his personal possession any certificate of alien registration or alien registration receipt card issued to him." But the law had rarely been imposed before the Trump administration announced earlier this year that it would strictly enforce it. The "carry your papers" portion fell out of use for cultural and historical reasons, said Michelle Lapointe, legal director of the nonprofit American Immigration Council. In contrast to the Soviet bloc at the time the requirement was written, "We have never been a country where you have to produce evidence of citizenship on demand from law enforcement." In a "Know Your Rights" presentation, the ACLU cautions immigrants over age 18 to follow the law and "carry your papers with you at all times." "If you don't have them," the ACLU says, "tell the officer that you want to remain silent, or that you want to consult a lawyer before answering any questions." A 'precious' document at risk Many immigrants preferred to hold their green card or visa in safe-keeping, because, like a passport, they are expensive and difficult to obtain. Historically, it was "a little risky for people to carry these precious documents such as green card, because there is a hefty fee to replace it and they are at risk of not having proof of status – a precarious position to be in," Lapointe said. But as immigration enforcement has ramped up, the risks of not carrying legal documents have grown. Failure to comply with the law can result in a $100 fine, or imprisonment of up to 30 days. Immigration enforcement and 'racial profiling' U.S. citizens aren't required to carry documents that prove their citizenship. But in an environment of increasing immigration enforcement, Fernando Garcia, executive director of the nonprofit Border Network for Human Rights in El Paso, Texas, said he worries about U.S. citizens being targeted. "With massive raids and mass deportation, this takes a new dimension," he said. "How rapidly are we transitioning into a 'show me your papers' state?" "The problem is there are a lot of people – Mexicans, or Central Americans – who are U.S. citizens who don't have to carry anything, but they have the burden of proof based on racial profiling," he said. "There are examples of U.S. citizens being arrested already, based on their appearance and their race." Not just immigrants: Why some Native American citizens worry about getting caught in ICE's net American citizens targeted by ICE The Trump administration's widening immigration crackdown has already netted American citizens. In July, 18-year-old Kenny Laynez, an American citizen, was detained for six hours by Florida Highway Patrol and Border Patrol agents. He was later released. Federal agents also detained a California man, Angel Pina, despite his U.S. citizenship in July. He was later released. Elzon Limus, a 23-year-old U.S. citizen from Long Island, New York, decried his arrest by ICE agents in June, after he was released. In a video of the arrest, immigration agents demand Limus show ID, with one explaining he "looks like somebody we are looking for." In updated guidance, attorneys at the firm of Masuda, Funai, Eifert & Mitchell, which has offices in Chicago, Detroit and Los Angeles, advise U.S. who are concerned about being stopped and questioned "to carry a U.S. passport card or a copy of their U.S. passport as evidence of U.S. citizenship." Lauren Villagran can be reached at lvillagran@
The Hindu
27-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
U.S. signs agreements with Guatemala and Honduras to take asylum-seekers, Noem says
Guatemala and Honduras have signed agreements with the United States to potentially offer refuge to people from other countries who otherwise would seek asylum in the United States, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on Thursday (June 26, 2025) at the conclusion of her Central America trip. The agreements expand the Trump administration's efforts to provide the U.S. government flexibility in returning migrants not only to their own countries, but also to third countries as it attempts to ramp up deportations. Ms. Noem described it as a way to offer asylum-seekers options other than coming to the United States. She said the agreements had been in the works for months. with the U.S. government applying pressure on Honduras and Guatemala to get them done. 'Honduras and now Guatemala after today will be countries that will take those individuals and give them refugee status as well,' Ms. Noem said. 'We've never believed that the United States should be the only option, that the guarantee for a refugee is that they go somewhere to be safe and to be protected from whatever threat they face in their country. It doesn't necessarily have to be the United States.' Both governments denied having signed safe third-country agreements when asked following Ms. Noem's comments. Guatemala's presidential communications office said the government did not sign a safe third-country agreement nor any immigration related agreement during Ms. Noem's visit. They reaffirmed that Guatemala would receive Central Americans sent by the United States as a temporary stop on the return to their countries. Ms. Noem had said on Thursday that 'politically, this is a difficult agreement for their governments to do.' Both countries have limited resources and many needs making support for asylum-seekers from other countries a tougher sell domestically. There are also the optics of two left-of-center governments appearing to help the Trump administration limit access to U.S. asylum. Ms. Noem said that during her Guatemala meeting, she was given the already signed agreement. While later there was a public signing ceremony for a memorandum of understanding that establishes a Joint Security Program that will put U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in the Guatemalan capital's international airport to help train local agents to screen for terrorist suspects. Honduras' Immigration Director Wilson Paz denied such an agreement was signed and its Foreign Affairs Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. During U.S. President Donald Trump's first term, the U.S. signed such accords called safe third-country agreements with Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala. They effectively allowed the U.S. to declare some asylum seekers ineligible to apply for U.S. protection and permitted the U.S. government to send them to those countries deemed 'safe.' The U.S. has had such an agreement with Canada since 2002. The practical challenge was that all three Central American countries at the time were seeing large numbers of their own citizens head to the U.S. to escape violence and a lack of economic opportunity. They also had extremely under-resourced asylum systems. In February, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed deals with El Salvador and Guatemala that allowed the U.S. to send migrants from other nations there. But in Guatemala's case it was to only be a point of transit for migrants who would then return to their homelands, not to apply for asylum there. And in El Salvador, it was broader, allowing the U.S. to send migrants to be imprisoned there. Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Tuesday (June 24, 2025) that Mexico would not sign a safe third-country agreement, but at the same time Mexico has accepted more than 5,000 migrants from other countries deported from the U.S. since Mr. Trump took office. She said Mexico accepted them for humanitarian reasons and helped them return to their home countries. The U.S. also has agreements with Panama and Costa Rica to take migrants from other countries though so far the numbers sent have been relatively small. The Trump administration sent 299 to Panama in February and fewer than 200 to Costa Rica. The agreements give U.S. authorities options, especially for migrants from countries where it is not easy for the U.S. to return them directly.
