The Biden administration hopes to dispense hundreds of ID playing cards to migrants within the coming weeks as a part of an effort to replace the documentation that US authorities companies present unlawful border-crossers.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement is planning on a “restricted rollout” of its Safe Docket Card program this summer season that may see roughly 10,000 ID playing cards distributed to migrants in as many as 4 US cities, in response to Fox Information.
Two potential places are Houston and Atlanta, a supply instructed the outlet.
This system goals to “modernize documentation supplied to some noncitizens,” in response to ICE, which notes that the playing cards are solely supposed to be used by Division of Homeland Safety companies — reminiscent of ICE, Customs and Border Safety and Citizenship and Immigration Companies.
“Whereas the specifics of the cardboard and pilot are underneath improvement, it is very important observe the safe card is not going to be an official type of federal identification,” ICE instructed Fox Information.
“The safe card will point out it’s to be used by DHS companies and could be supplied solely after nationwide safety background checks have been carried out,” the company added.
Migrants who cross the border illegally are sometimes given paper paperwork indicating their standing and future immigration court docket dates earlier than they’re launched into the nation.
ICE claims paper paperwork are unsecured, inefficient and might get misplaced or deteriorate over time, thus the necessity for ID playing cards.
“Shifting to a safe card will save the company thousands and thousands, liberate sources and guarantee info is shortly accessible to DHS officers whereas lowering the company’s FOIA backlog,” an ICE spokesperson instructed Fox Information.
“For provisionally launched noncitizens, the digital modernization will present ongoing entry to vital immigration paperwork by means of the safe card and related portal.”
Leaked pictures of the brand new playing cards obtained by the outlet present that they are going to include {a photograph} of the migrant, a QR code, ID quantity and different figuring out info.
It’s unclear what the price to taxpayers might be for this system.
ICE didn’t reply to The Submit’s request for remark.
Almost 8 million migrants have crossed the southern border into the US since President Biden took workplace, together with greater than 189,000 people in March, the latest month for which information is obtainable, in response to CBP.
As such, the ten,000 playing cards to be distributed underneath the pilot program would cowl lower than 1% of migrants who’ve entered the nation since 2021.
A number of Republican Home lawmakers launched laws final yr to dam the plan.
They argued that ID playing cards would additional incentivize unlawful immigration into the US.
“Underneath the Biden administration’s open-border insurance policies, unlawful border crossings have reached an unsustainable document excessive, wreaking havoc on our nation’s communities. It’s incomprehensible to suppose we’d reward this legal habits by granting these current within the nation illegally an ID that each one however legitimizes their presence and is meant for use in methods past their immigration proceedings,” Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), one of many co-sponsors of the so-called No IDs for Illegals Act, stated in a press release final October.
“It’s insulting to those that made sacrifices with a purpose to comply with our nation’s legal guidelines to reside the American dream,” the congressman added.
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