Trump’s Migrant Registry is Rooted in Historic Anti-Blackness and Xenophobia

Black Alliance For Just Immigration (BAJI) Statement On Trump Administration’s Migrant Registry

History Repeats: Criminalizing Blackness Under the Immigration and Nationality Act

The following statement is from Black Alliance For Just Immigration (BAJI) regarding the Trump administration’s policy that requires migrants to self-register with the government. The Trump administration’s interim rule points to a little-used provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) that requires anyone over the age of 14 who is unlawfully present in the country to register with authorities and alert the government of any change in address:

“This isn’t new—it’s recycled oppression. When the Trump administration reaches for dusty provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act, they’re playing the same game colonial governments played with past laws in apartheid South Africa or the Fugitive Slave Acts in the U.S. This is about control, surveillance, and criminalizing Black people.

“It’s a page ripped right out of an old, ugly playbook. When they reach back to the Immigration and Nationality Act to push this registration rule, they’re trying to tap into a legacy of control, exclusion, and surveillance that’s been used against Black and Brown communities for centuries.

“Think about the Black Codes during Reconstruction or the constant surveillance of Black activists throughout the Civil Rights Movement. The government has always found ways to monitor, police, and suppress us. This requirement is just another way to turn undocumented Black folks into targets for enforcement, making them live in constant fear of being tracked and punished for simply existing.

“And let’s be clear: this tactic disproportionately impacts Black immigrants. Whether you’re Haitian, Nigerian, Jamaican, or from any other part of the African diaspora, you’re dealing with a system that criminalizes you based on your immigration status and your race. This isn’t about ‘law and order’ or ‘national security’—it’s about control. And it’s a threat to the safety and dignity of our people.

“We’ve survived these tactics before, and we’ll resist them now. Stay informed, stay connected, and fight back.”

The Black Alliance For Just Immigration (BAJI) educates and engages African American and Black immigrant communities to organize and advocate for racial justice.