Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., introduced a bill on Friday that would prevent the Trump administration from using a World War II-era law, that previously allowed for the forced incarceration of Japanese Americans, to build a current registry of undocumented immigrants.
The legislation from Jayapal, titled the “No Round Up Act,” would repeal the Alien Registration Act of 1940, which required the fingerprinting and registration of non-citizen adults. Trump pointed to it as the basis for an executive order in January that instructed the Department of Homeland Security to ensure undocumented immigrants comply with their “duty to register with the government.”
As part of the order last month, the administration announced it would require undocumented immigrants to register, give fingerprints and provide an address, or potentially face prosecution.
The long-dormant act was passed during a time when President Franklin D. Roosevelt was monitoring the Japanese American community, even ordering the creation of lists of those of Japanese descent in Hawaii. The year after the act was passed, the FBI and police began raiding homes of those of Japanese descent that they had deemed as suspicious. And it eventually paved the way for the roundup of those of Japanese descent.
“This policy is associated with some of the most shameful stains on our country’s history,” Jayapal said in a press release, referencing the forced incarceration of some 120,000 Japanese Americans. “Now, the Trump administration is aiming to use this policy as a tool to force immigrants to register and subject themselves to a mass deportation scheme.”
The Trump administration did not respond to NBC News’ request for comment.
Jayapal’s bill, co-sponsored by more than 20 Democratic lawmakers, has already received endorsements from dozens of organizations including the American Civil Liberties Union, Asian Americans Advancing Justice — AAJC and the Immigrant Legal Resource Center.
Many of the groups have been critical of Trump’s registry, first ordered in an executive action signed on his first day in office. The action also directed DHS to treat any failure to adhere to the requirement as a “civil and criminal enforcement priority.” Since then, the administration has created a new process for registration, and is slated to put it into effect on April 11.
In the press release, Jayapal pointed out that the WWII-era act had also been associated with the controversial National Security Entry-Exit Registration System. The tracking system, implemented under George W. Bush in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, required men from a list of mostly Muslim- and Arab-majority countries to register. While the system put 13,000 people into deportation proceedings, it didn’t result in any terrorism convictions. And it was widely criticized as racial profiling.
“The Trump Administration’s proposed use of this policy would put a target on the backs of immigrants, many of whom are undocumented and have lived in this country for upwards of 16 years as contributing members of our economy and communities,” the press release said.
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