Undocumented South Florida girl speaks out against immigration registry
By Ivan Taylor, Mauricio Maldonado
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South Florida (WFOR) — As the Trump administration ramps up its immigration crackdown, some undocumented immigrants could face fines or jail time if they fail to sign up for a newly announced federal registry.
For Maria, an undocumented South Florida resident who came to the U.S. as a child, the policy is nothing short of terrifying.
“You can tell it’s clear this is a strategy to terrorize immigrants across the country,” Maria told CBS Miami. For security reasons, she requested anonymity and declined to disclose the city where she lives.
Maria, who attended school in Florida and now advocates for the undocumented community, says she refuses to comply with the new requirement.
Legal concerns over the registry
Under the policy, immigrants who fail to register could face a $5,000 fine and possible jail time, according to documents from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
“I’m not going to register. I don’t think anyone should,” Maria said. “I would say consult an immigration lawyer, but I don’t think anybody should do this.”
However, immigration attorney Willie Allen, who has practiced law in South Florida for over 40 years, warned that advising people to avoid registration could be legally risky.
“As a lawyer, you cannot tell someone not to register because it’s against the law,” Allen told CBS Miami.
Allen reviewed the USCIS document and noted that some people are exempt from the requirement, including those applying for residency, asylum seekers, and individuals who entered the country legally with a visa.
“They’re looking for people who have been here illegally for a while,” Allen explained.
A push for self-deportation?
Trump administration officials defended the move, saying it enforces a long-ignored law and encourages unauthorized immigrants to self-deport. But Maria sees the registry as a disturbing echo of authoritarian regimes.
“It’s really scary because we’ve seen these types of tactics in other dictatorships in the past,” she said. “And now this is what the Trump administration is doing against immigrants.”
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