WASHINGTON (ChurchMilitant.com) – The Biden administration is proceeding with its initiative to provide identification cards to illegal immigrants through the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Secure Docket Card program.
Alleged Purpose
The cards are ostensibly meant to serve as a modern alternative to the paper documents given to those entering the United States without proper documentation. Some Democratic-led cities offer similar ID cards, even attempting to extend voting rights to undocumented individuals.
The cards feature prominent Immigration and Customs Enforcement logos. They include holder information and a QR code in the upper right corner for officials to access case files. They also incorporate biographic data and advanced security features.
Not Federal IDs
The cards resemble driver’s licenses but are explicitly not official federal IDs.
According to an ICE spokesperson, the program aims to modernize documentation for certain noncitizens, emphasizing that the cards will not serve as official federal IDs and will only be issued after national security background checks.
ICE argues that transitioning to secure cards will save money, streamline resource allocation and provide quicker information access for DHS officials while reducing Freedom of Information Act backlogs. It contends that paper documents pose security risks, are easily lost and degrade over time, leading to inefficiencies.
Controversy
However, not everyone supports the idea of issuing ID cards to undocumented immigrants. Members of the House Oversight Committee criticized the move as an encouragement of illegal immigration and a reward for lawbreakers.
For example, in a press release from last year when the ICE program was first announced, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform called plans for the ID cards “another reckless policy that will further exacerbate this ongoing [border] crisis.”