Proclamation 2537—Regulations Pertaining to Alien Enemies

By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation

Whereas section 21 of title 50 of the United States Code provides as follows:

"Whenever there is a declared war between the United States and any foreign nation or government, or any invasion or predatory incursion is perpetrated, attempted, or threatened against the territory of the United States by any foreign nation or government, and the President makes public proclamation of the event, all natives, citizens, denizens, or subjects of the hostile nation or government, being of the age of fourteen years and upward, who shall be within the United States and not actually naturalized, shall be liable to be apprehended, restrained, secured, and removed as alien enemies. The President is authorized in any such event, by his proclamation thereof, or other public act, to direct the conduct to be observed, on the part of the United States, toward the aliens who become so liable; the manner and degree of the restraint to which they shall be subject and in what cases, and upon what security their residence shall be permitted, and to provide for the removal of those who, not being permitted to reside within the United States, refuse or neglect to depart therefrom; and to establish any other regulations which are found necessary in the premises and for the public safety.";

Whereas by sections 22, 23, and 24 of title 50 of the United States Code further provision is made relative to alien enemies;

Whereas by Proclamation No. 2525 of December 7, 1941, and Proclamations Nos. 2526 and 2527 of December 8, 1941, I prescribed and proclaimed certain regulations governing the conduct of alien enemies; and

Whereas I find it necessary in the interest of national defense to prescribe regulations additional and supplemental to such regulations:

Now, Therefore, I, Franklin D. Roosevelt, President of the United States of America, acting under and by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution of the United States and the aforesaid sections of the United States Code, do hereby prescribe and proclaim the following regulations, additional and supplemental to those prescribed by the aforesaid proclamations of December 7, 1941, and December 8, 1941:

All alien enemies within the continental United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands are hereby required, at such times and places and in such manner as may be fixed by the Attorney General of the United States, to apply for and acquire certificates of identification; and the Attorney General is hereby authorized and directed to provide, as speedily as may be practicable, for the receiving of such applications and for the issuance of appropriate identification certificates, and to make such rules and regulations as he may deem necessary for effecting such identifications; and all alien enemies and all other persons are hereby required to comply with such rules and regulations. The Attorney General in carrying out such identification procedure, is hereby authorized to utilize such agents, agencies, officers, and departments of the United States and of the several states, territories, dependencies, and municipalities thereof and of the District of Columbia as he may select for the purpose, and all such agents, agencies, officers, and departments are hereby granted full authority for all acts done by them in the execution of this regulation when acting by the direction of the Attorney General. After the date or dates fixed by the Attorney General for completion of such identification procedure, every alien enemy within the limits of the continental United States, Puerto Rico, or the Virgin Islands shall at all times have his identification card on his person.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington this 14th day of January in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and forty-two, and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and sixty-sixth.

FRANKLIN D ROOSEVELT

By the President:
CORDELL HULL
Secretary of State.