Pramila Jayapal
Rep. Pramila Jayapal has introduced a “No Round Up Act”—to repeal the long-dormant immigration law that once enabled the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWII. The Trump administration is reportedly eyeing this outdated policy as a way to ramp up mass deportations today.
“This policy is associated with some of the most shameful stains on our country’s history,” said Jayapal. “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.” This isn’t the first time the government has tried to use this system. After 9/11, the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System required thousands of immigrants—mostly from Muslim-majority countries—to register. The result? About 13,000 people were put in deportation proceedings, but not a single terrorism conviction came from it. The Department of Homeland Security later called it inefficient and a waste of resources. If Trump’s plan moves forward, immigrants—many of whom have lived in the U.S. for 16+ years, contributing to their communities and the economy—would face fines, jail time, or even deportation just for not registering.