President Obama Ends Muslim Registration System

With less than a month left in office, President Obama has rescinded the regulation that established the framework for the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS).NSEERS was a program established by the Bush administration after 9/11 that required more than 80,000 immigrants from 25 Muslim-majority, Arab, and South Asian countries to register their presence in the U.S.  They were required to provide fingerprints and photographs and present for interviews with the Department of Homeland Security. A significant number of these immigrants were placed in deportation proceedings, yet not one was prosecuted for terrorism.The program was disbanded in 2011 after widespread criticism of its ineffectiveness as a counterterrorism measure and the unnecessary harm and alienation caused by ethnic profiling and civil rights violations. However, the regulation remained “on the books”, meaning it could have been revived without the requirement for public comment.Applauded by the American Immigration Lawyers’ Association, American Civil Liberties Union, and Muslim American groups, the President’s move is likely to be no coincidence. The incoming President-elect made the creation of a Muslim registry, banning Muslims from entering the U.S., and “extreme vetting” policies a cornerstone of his campaign. Those tasks have just been made more difficult.