DC Circuit denies emergency bid to block national registry for immigrants

Source: Courthouse News Service

August 12, 2025


WASHINGTON (CN) — A D.C. Circuit panel on Tuesday declined to freeze the implementation of a universal national registry for noncitizens in the United States over 30 days, setting up further arguments before the appeals court in the fall.

In a per curium order, U.S. Circuit judges Karen Henderson, Robert Wilkins and Bradley Garcia — appointed by Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama and Joe Biden, respectively — the panel declined the immigrant rights groups’ request for a stay, finding they failed to satisfy the “stringent” requirements needed.

The rule, referred to as the "Alien Registration Requirement," applies to everyone over 14 who enters the country without being documented, which the Department of Homeland Security estimated includes between 2.2 and 3.2 million people. Younger children would need to be registered by their parents or legal guardians, then reregister when they turn 14.

The main target of the measure is people who have crossed into the country without permission. Canadians, who are usually able to enter the U.S. without a visa for 180 days, must also register if they stay longer than a month. The decision affirms U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden’s ruling in April, where he found that the plaintiffs — the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, United Farm Workers of America, Casa Inc. and Make the Road New York — failed to show the rule would “erode their core missions” and only provided speculative harms.

Read more: https://www.courthousenews.com/dc-circuit-denies-emergency-bid-to-block-national-registry-for-immigrants/