DHS Removes Outdated Regulations Related to NSEERS
On 12/23/16, DHS published a final rule removing outdated regulations relating to the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS), an obsolete special registration program that required immigrants from 25 Muslim-majority, Arab, and South Asian countries to register their presence in the United States. AILA welcomed the rescission of the regulatory framework for the discriminatory NSEERS, with AILA President William Stock noting that "NSEERS was not only completely ineffective, it also wasted millions of taxpayer dollars and caused unnecessary harm to thousands of American families and businesses."
Special thanks to AILA chapters and hundreds of members who joined in calling for the Obama administration to rescind the regulation.
- CRS Report on Legal Authority Surrounding NSEERS – January 5, 2017
- DHS Final Rule Removing Regulations Relating to Special Registration Process for Certain Nonimmigrants – December 22, 2016
- AILA Press Statement: Ending NSEERS Closes Dark Chapter in U.S. History – December 22, 2016
- The Guardian: Registry used to track Arabs and Muslims dismantled by Obama administration – December 22, 2016
- House Members Urge President Obama to Rescind NSEERS – December 1, 2016
- AILA Letter to President Obama on Rescinding NSEERS – November 23, 2016
- Vox: Donald Trump’s proposed 'Muslim registry,' explained – November 16, 2016
On 1/5/17, Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Edward Markey (D-MA), Patty Murray (D-WA), Bernard Sanders (I-VT), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR) introduced the "Protect American Families Act" (S. 54), which would prohibit the creation of an immigration-related registry program that classifies people on the basis of religion, race, age, gender, ethnicity, national origin, nationality, or citizenship.