Havana/Starting in December, US residents between 18 and 25 years old will be automatically registered in the Selective Service System (SSS), an executive branch agency independent of the Department of Defense, which eliminates voluntary registration.
The change also includes immigrants with green card (form I-551), refugee applicants, on parole, in the asylum process, undocumented and dual nationals, among them there are Cubans, Mexicans, Salvadorans, Venezuelans.
Don’t do it, underlines the SSS“constitutes a serious crime that is punishable by a fine of up to $250,000 and/or five years in prison” and obstacles to being granted loans from the Government. The new measure is part of the National Defense Authorization Act signed into law last December by President Donald Trump.
According to CNN, Arizona, Delaware and Washington “eligible men are automatically registered when they apply for a driver’s license or other state ID.” In New York, the driver’s license process includes a section to register with the SSS.}
In Arizona, Delaware and Washington “eligible men are automatically registered when they apply for a driver’s license or other state identification”
The process has generated uncertainty and fear over the possibility of “forced recruitment” for the war in Iran. However, the United States has not resorted to this type of measure since 1973, when the Vietnam War ended. In that process, about 1.8 million Americans were recruited.
According to USA Todayalthough the legal regulations have already been approved for entry into force at the end of this year, the regulations that will enable the effective implementation of the system are still in the review process. The US Congress must approve forced conscription before it happens. Furthermore, “not all registered men would be called to serve.”
According to cnnselected individuals could request an exemption or deferral. All remaining men would then undergo a “physical, mental and moral evaluation,” and those who prove fit would be selected for service, according to the SSS.
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt clarified to Fox News that “it is not part of the current plan” to reinstate the draft, although he explained that Trump “in good judgment keeps all his options open” and reiterated that “he has no higher priority or responsibility than protecting the American people and our troops.”
The New York Post warned that the measure comes after the registration rate fell from 84% to 81% between 2023 and 2024. Representative Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pennsylvania, co-author of the initiative, told Military Times that the modification will allow “redirection of resources towards preparation and mobilization, instead of towards educational and advertising campaigns aimed at registering people.”
