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Immigration registry deemed obsolete, but will it remain so?

On Behalf of | Jan 18, 2017 | U.S. Immigration Law |

A mandatory registry that was put into place following the terrorist events of 9/11 has now been formally scrapped by the Obama administration. Some Maryland residents may be aware that the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System program has not been in use in this country since April 2011, but a notice posted by the Department of Homeland Security on Dec. 22, 2016, has finally made it official. The NSEERS program, according to the DHS notice, has become obsolete.

In the final days of the Obama administration, however, the perception of a growing international terror threat has been sharply punctuated by an attack on a Christmas market in Berlin that took 12 lives. The attack has apparently done little to dissuade President-elect Trump from reevaluating his stance on immigration as it was reported during the election season. Evidence in the form of a photograph that was obtained by the Associated Press appears to suggest that a reboot of the NSEERS program could be a priority for the incoming Republican administration.

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who served the Trump campaign team as an immigration adviser, has said that the DHS database should be revived and reports indicate that such a revision could possibly take place within the first year of the Trump presidency. In contrast, others have derided the program as an effort to profile people based on religion and race.

In this country, immigration law is extraordinarily complex, and under even the most favorable of conditions, interested parties could find it difficult to navigate the process without support, advocacy and guidance. Individuals in Maryland who are concerned that a proposed registry or ban on immigration would negatively impact their particular situation may want to seek counsel from an attorney who is knowledgeable about the policies that have been established by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services and who could provide them with the most current information regarding any changes to the law.

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