U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has posted that immigrants in the United States without authorization must register with the federal government or else face potential fines and prison time, reports Michelle Hackman of The Wall Street Journal.  

The registry would require fingerprints and personal information for adults and for children 14 and older. Presence in the U.S. without authorization has been a civil offense, not a criminal one, Hackman notes.  

"I would just encourage all of us to imagine how awful it would be to have to have that conversation with your family and how deeply troubling that our government is putting people in that position at the same time that they are unleashing policies and announcements that spread terror throughout those communities," Heidi Altman, vice president of policy at the National Immigration Law Center, told Rachel Uranga and Andrea Castillo of the Los Angeles Times. 

In other news, yesterday a federal judge blocked the suspension of the U.S. refugee resettlement program, ruling that the president exceeded his executive authority, reports Nate Raymond of Reuters.  

"I cannot ignore Congress's detailed framework for refugee admissions and the limits it places on the president's ability to suspend the same," the judge stated. 

Welcome to Wednesday’s edition of The Forum Daily. I’m Dan Gordon, the Forum’s VP of strategic communications, and the great Forum Daily team also includes Jillian Clark, Soledad Gassó Parker, Broc Murphy, Clara Villatoro and Becka Wall. If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to me at [email protected]. 

AGREEMENTS — The United States is forging agreements with countries across Latin America regarding deportations, report María Verza and Megan Janetsky of the Associated Press. The agreements, details of which aren’t public, are raising concerns over how migrants are being and will be treated in other countries. Separately, Samantha Schmidt of The Washington Post reports on the long trek back through Mexico and Central America for migrants turned away at the U.S.-Mexico border. 

FRACTURED — Daniel Monroy, a Mexican father of three who came to the U.S. when he was 16, worked in Florida’s agriculture industry for 30 years but will be deported again by the end of March, reports Sandra Viktorova of WGCU. "There’s no food. No money. There’s nothing. That’s what makes us leave home," said his son, a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipient. Monroy’s U.S.-born daughter is worried about a future without her parents and stricter punishments if they try to return here. 

For more on how policies are affecting people locally: 

SUPPORT FOR VETERANS — Immigrant military veterans at risk of deportation are among those receiving support in Arizona, reports Paul Ingram of the Tucson Sentinel. At an event last weekend, U.S. Navy veteran Alex Murillo shared his story of suffering from PTSD, which eventually led to his deportation after a minor drug charge. "I experienced deportation and family separation, and it's probably the worst thing that's ever happened to me," he said. 

REFLECTING — Nadina Feakins, co-founder of an organization that supports immigrants in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, reflects on her immigration story in a Lancaster Online column. Feakins, originally from Argentina, knows the fear that many young undocumented immigrants have, but: "More than fear, I hold hope," she says. "I believe that the heart of America still beats with a desire for justice." 

Thanks for reading,  

Dan