Images leaked to Fox News show the new ID cards that the federal government intends to distribute to illegal immigrants. The card will be supplied to migrants detained at the border and released into the US interior, replacing the previously provided documents. They are labeled “ICE Secure Docket Card” and will feature a photo of each migrant and a QR code alongside other identifying information.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said the cards will also encompass cutting-edge security features, including biometric identifiers. A spokesperson said, “The ICE secure docket card concept is a pilot program that would modernize documentation provided to some noncitizens,” before adding that the program remains under development and the cards will not suffice as an official form of identification.
Plans to introduce the cards have been in the works since last year when Republicans expressed concerns about the cost and security implications. GOP Reps. James Comer and Glenn Grothman wrote to ICE Director Tae Johnson last July saying the cards constituted “yet another” reward for law-breaking and another incentive for illegal immigrants to cross the border into the United States.
ICE officers, on the other hand, say the cards will help them maintain order and will enable agents to immediately identify illegal immigrants and whether or not they should be, or should have been, deported to their home countries.
Meanwhile, the crisis at the border continues to escalate as record numbers arrive and with no apparent end in sight. In mid-September, border force agents apprehended more than 8,000 migrants per day – up from 3,500 per day while Title 42 restrictions were in place. President Biden has placed the blame for the crisis on Republicans in Congress.
The President told the Annual Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s Gala in Washington, DC, that he wants to enact comprehensive migration reform, but “MAGA Republicans” continue to “undermine border security” by blocking his efforts. He accused GOP Congress Members of “gutting the immigration system” under his predecessor Donald Trump.
