The United States will begin implementing a law requiring Canadians to visit the country for more than 30 days to register with the authorities, according to two Canadian officials who asked them to remain anonymous because they were not permitted to talk about the records.
The new requirements are rooted in existing immigration laws, saying foreigners over the age of 14 are not yet registered with US authorities. However, in reality, this rule has not been consistently applied to Canadians who travel to the US through land borders.
On the first day of his current term, President Trump signaled that practices would change with an executive order that required all foreigners who were not previously registered to comply with the law. The order also warned that failure to comply will be “treated as a civil and criminal execution priority.”
Canadian officials said the notice was received by Canadian authorities. This notice was previously reported by ABC News.
Representatives from the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Agency did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Subsequent publications from USCIS said the Department of Homeland Security would explain how foreigners who have not yet met the registration requirements could do it.
The notice is the Trump administration’s latest move in an escalating conflict with Canada, separated by Trump’s new comments about annexing successive tariffs and US neighbours north and making it a 51st state.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration imposed a 25% tariff on most Canadian imports and suspended it for some goods. On Tuesday, Trump announced that tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum would double after Ontario, Canada, retaliated on the first tariffs with an additional fee for electricity exports to the United States.
Later last month, the Trump administration announced that the executive order on the registration of foreigners would also apply to undocumented immigrants over the age of 14, and also to those who registered and failed to submit, who were at risk of criminal prosecution.
The Department of Homeland Security said green card holders, those already in deportation lawsuits, and those who have entered the country with a visa will be exempt from the registration requirement.
