Although there were efforts during World War I, the alien registration system that still exists in the United States until today started in 1940. Initially, all aliens in the United States, that is whoever was not a U.S. Citizen, were required to register between 27 August and 26 December 1940. Registration was conducted using form AR-2 at post offices throughout the United States and later also at consulates abroad for prospective immigrants.
About Alex Calzareth
Alex Calzareth began his genealogy research over twenty years ago and has conducted research in archives in the US, Germany and Italy. He is a board member of the Jewish Genealogy Society of Long Island and also serves as JewishGen’s Director of German Research. Alex’s interest in his family history was developed trying to piece together the relationships of relatives who lived on several continents and he has yet to run out of unanswered questions. This desire for answers has led him to support the efforts of Reclaim The Records and to file his own FOI requests to try to understand the rationale behind public agencies’ actions. One of his early genealogical accomplishments was to help access missing Ellis Island manifests when they were first published.
Alex lives in Manhattan and is a Certified Public Accountant. He works in the real estate industry following several years as a public auditor.