A 60-year-old Chicago resident, Rueben Antonio Cruz, who holds lawful permanent status in the United States, was fined $130 by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers last week after he failed to show valid identification.
As per NBC Chicago and the Chicago Tribune, what began as a routine stop ended without an arrest but reignited focus on an old federal regulation now being brought back into effect.
“This is the second case I’ve seen in the last month (the first involving a person with a green card) of a noncitizen criminally charged for failure to carry papers,” as per Aaron Reichlin-Melnick of the American Immigration Council in a post on X on Tuesday.
“It’s a law that’s been on the books for generations but virtually never used. Now Trump’s brought it back,” Reichlin-Melnick added.
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Discussing Cruz’s situation, a man from El Salvador who also suffers from heart problems, he noted, “We have a very literal ‘show me your papers’ arrest.”
“He was chilling with a friend when ICE officers demanded to see his papers. He didn’t have them on him, so they detained him and interrogated him. He was eventually released — but with the ticket.”
The regulation traces back to Section 264 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), first established in 1940. Under this law, all non-U.S. citizens aged 18 and above are required to carry proof of registration, such as a green card or alien registration card, at all times.
Violating this provision is treated as a misdemeanor offense. While the original law set the fine limit at $100, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) now applies broader federal sentencing guidelines, which can impose penalties of up to $5,000 or a jail term of up to 30 days.
“Noncompliance is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $5,000 or imprisonment for not more than thirty days, or both,” the Department of Homeland Security reaffirmed this modern interpretation in a rule issued earlier this March.
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To ensure that federal agencies “faithfully execute the immigration laws,” President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14159 on Jan. 20. The order effectively reversed earlier policies that had limited officers’ discretion in enforcing minor immigration violations.
The 2025 policy initiative aimed to revive long-unused sections of the law by clarifying what it means to be “registered” and setting out a process for individuals who have yet to complete that requirement.
Under the updated federal rules, all registered noncitizens must now carry their proof of registration at all times, with failure to comply potentially leading to fines or criminal charges.
Cruz was fined amid stepped-up document inspections under an intensified initiative called “Operation Midway Blitz” in Chicago, an enforcement effort that, according to local reports, had been “rarely seen” until now.