The act requires that all non-citizen residents in the U.S. over 14 years of age be registered and fingerprinted, and that they file a statement with their personal and occupational status and a record of their political beliefs.

It also makes past membership in proscribed political organizations grounds for exclusion and deportation.

Furthermore, this act makes it illegal for anyone in the United States to "advocate, abet, or teach the desirability of overthrowing the government."