Why all US immigrants, H-1B workers, green card holders must carry ID 24×7

The Donald Trump administration on Friday received an approval from a US district judge to require millions of immigrants to register with the federal government.

Should green card holders, Indians with H-1B visas need to carry ID proof?

After the court order, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement,”All noncitizens 18 and older must carry this documentation at all times. This administration has directed DHS to prioritize enforcement, there will be no sanctuary for noncompliance.”

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“President Trump and I have a clear message for those in our country illegally: leave now. If you leave now, you may have the opportunity to return and enjoy our freedom and live the American dream. The Trump administration will enforce all our immigration laws—we will not pick and choose which laws we will enforce. We must know who is in our country for the safety and security of our homeland and all Americans,” DHS secretary Kristi Noem said.

It means that all the immigrants, including those with valid visas, green cards, border crossing visa or I-94 admission records will have to carry their registration documents 24X7. It does include Indians with H-1B visas and green cards.

Federal immigration law has long required that people who aren’t American citizens and live in the United States, including those here illegally, register with the government.

Those laws can be traced back to the Alien Registration Act of 1940, which came amid growing fears of immigrants and political subversives in the early days of World War II, an AP report added.

But the requirement that people illegally in the US register has been enforced only in rare circumstances. In fact, advocates opposing the government say it hasn’t been universally used since it was first introduced in the mid-1940s.

(With AP inputs)