MENDOCINO CO., 4/4/25 – This week, a lawsuit was filed against a new immigration registration rule from President Donald Trump’s administration that requires immigrants to submit their information to an online database under U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services by April 11.
In January, Trump issued an executive order mandating that immigrants register their information in this database in compliance with Section 262 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which was enacted in 1952.
The administration announced in late February that registration would be mandatory, and that noncompliance would bring serious penalties. By March, the federal government said immigrants would have to register and carry proof of registration or face imprisonment or a fine of up to $5,000.
For Mendocino County-based attorneys, a mandatory registration requirement could pose new challenges for immigrants who may lack the technological experience to register their information in the online database. It is also causing increased confusion and fear within immigrant communities.
“Working with our immigrant community, sometimes getting a number to text them with can be complicated. I looked at the USCIS page, none of it is easy,” said immigration attorney Liliana Gallelli, who represents clients in both Mendocino and Sonoma counties. “To create a USCIS account is very convoluted. What the lawsuit states is that the new registration requirement is chaos-inducing and unclear who actually needs to register.”
Gallelli said she has already helped some immigrants create a USCIS account, but the process has proven too difficult for many who come through her office.
“It can be a nightmare to coordinate with a client and have them open an account,” she added. “Usually, we have to open an account for them. It’s not difficult for a person who uses a computer all day, but for my clients it is.”
The lawsuit was filed by the National Immigration Law Center, a nonprofit that advocates for the rights of immigrants in the U.S. and challenges anti-immigrant policies, and the American Immigration Council, a similar nonprofit that helps shape immigration policy through research and litigation. These two organizations filed the lawsuit on behalf of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, United Farm Workers and Make the Road New York. The grievance is directed at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which oversees USCIS along with a handful of other government agencies.
The lawsuit argues that the new requirement is unlawful and was implemented without public comment, which the suit says government agencies must gather before implementing a policy. The lawsuit also states that the rule is confusing, lacks clarity about which categories of immigrants do not need to register, and that it will cause more chaos within immigrant communities.
Sergio Perez, executive director of Nuestra Alianza de Willits, a local immigration nonprofit, has hope that the work of immigration rights organizations could help prevent the registration requirement from moving forward.
He spoke about recent court rulings that have stopped the U.S. administration from revoking visas for Venezuelan immigrants.
“For example, when he tried to stop Temporary Protected Status (TPS) there was a judge from California that stopped Trump to be able to do it,” Perez said in an interview, referring to U.S. District Court Judge Edward Chen’s ruling that stopped the administration’s efforts to revoke TPS status from some Venezuelan immigrants. “The visas were supposed to stop in April and now the judge said that that was not legal for the administration to do.”
Perez added that he doesn’t want immigrants to feel anxious about the registration requirement. He said Nuestra Alianza will inform the community once it determines how to approach the new rule.
“I just feel like the best thing we can do as an organization is to help people feel comfortable,” Perez said. “There’s a lot of new information coming out every day, and we don’t want to create more confusion or conflict until we know for sure what is happening.”
According to local attorneys, the plaintiffs have filed a motion to stop enforcement of the registration requirement until the court rules on the merits of the case. U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden with the District of Columbia has set a hearing on the motion for Tuesday.
If the lawsuit is successful, it would invalidate the registration requirement and prevent DHS from enforcing it, stopping penalties from taking effect.
The 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act has been contested for decades by immigration organizations because of its favoritism toward European immigrants, its perpetuation of a complex visa and documentation system, and its strict requirements that have made it harder for immigrants to come to the U.S. legally.
According to USCIS’ website, the registration rule applies to all immigrants staying in the U.S. for more than 30 days, with exceptions for green card holders and few other types of visas. The requirement applies to immigrants 14 years or older who must register within 30 days of their arrival in the U.S.
“I don’t think this registration would help anything,” said an immigrant from Mexico who currently lives in Ukiah and wishes to remain anonymous due to his undocumented status. “This type of rule does make me anxious. Being an immigrant is hard, and if things get harder, than I will have to leave.”
The National Immigration Law Center offers information for individuals and Know Your Rights resources regarding the new requirement here. Nonprofits providing immigration legal services and that serve Mendocino County can be found here.
The Trump administration’s official website about the registration program can be found here.
Well well! The Supreme Court has cited with Trump and I think it’s a wonderful thing. I would think these people would be sick and tired of supporting illegals with their taxes and everything else but evidently they’re not so I say, if you want to support an illegal take them into your home keep them with you all the time close them and feed them and then that takes care of the problem right there so no one else has to deal with it.b