US Government Working on Unique Identity for Immigrants

The Biden administration will create a new identification card for immigrants that will serve as a single card to access immigration files and eventually be accepted by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for travel.

Various criticisms have been aimed at the current administration and the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency for the handling of the flow of immigrants across the US southern border.

Officials are now advocating a form of photo ID that, they claim, will provide transparency to the immigration process. Called the ‘Secure Docket Card’ (SDC), the card is expected to contain the name and nationality of the person, as well as a QR code to access a new portal that will contain relevant immigration information.

The portal aims to provide an easy way to update information and for immigrants to contact federal authorities during the immigration process.

‘50% of the problems with immigrant accountability in this process are because we don’t communicate well,’ said one Department for Homeland Security (DHS) official. ‘(With this card) people are going to go through the immigration process smoothly, efficiently and humanely.’ The ID card will have several uses beyond establishing immigration status but will not be used to register to vote, as this is reserved for US citizens. In time, the card could also be used at airports for travel, the official said. TSA currently accepts certain immigration documents as valid identification for travel.

‘The ICE Secure Docket Card is part of a pilot program to modernise the various types of temporary documents issued to non-citizens through a consistent, verifiable and secure identification. The SDC includes photo, biographic identifiers and modern security features for the mutual benefit of state-government and non-citizens,’ an ICE spokesperson said in a statement.

‘The details of the project are still under development, but the SDC’s primary goal is to improve the current and inconsistent paper formats, which often break down in real-world use. Depending on the outcome of the pilot project, ICE will explore the feasibility of expanding it,’ the spokesperson added.

A report from The House Appropriations Committee ¹ made reference to the ICE Secure Docket Card programme and allocated $10 million to implement it. A report accompanying the DHS appropriations bill for fiscal year 2023 describes the program as allowing ‘non- citizen access to citizenship files and documents’. The agency plans to pilot the ID card later this year, a Homeland Security official said.

Jeremy McKinney, President of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), expressed optimism about the card.

‘If ICE moves in a new direction where eligible citizens can report their status, provide information about their location and address, receive case management support, understand and prepare for investigations without the need for electronic monitoring or jail cells, AILA welcomes that approach,’ McKinney told US broadcaster CNN.

According to a DHS official, the card would also support those enrolled in ‘Alternative to Detention’ (ATD) programmes. Large numbers of people have been placed in ATD after changes in detention rules and the arrival of more nationalities who cannot be returned to their home country under pandemic emergency guidelines.

Immigrants released from government custody are subject to immigration court proceedings to determine whether they are allowed to remain in the country or are to be deported. But this process can take years and involves many court proceedings with various immigration agencies.

ICE monitors more than 300,000 immigrants with ATD, which includes GPS-enabled ankle monitors, phones or an app called SmartLINK, the official said.

The SDC allows officials to verify whether an immigrant has been released from custody, ‘and/or charged with removal from the United States’, according to ICE.

As the development of a comprehensive portal for migrants continues, some privacy advocates have raised concerns. Jay Stanley, a political analyst who works on privacy issues at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), noted that storing personal data in one place generally poses privacy risks.

‘It allows the authorities to learn more about you and see more about you,’ Stanley told CNN. ‘It can be case-by-case. In some situations it can be convenient for users, but depending on what information we’re talking about, the devil is in the details.’ 

1 - https://docs.house.gov/meetings/AP/AP00/20220624/114951/HMKP-117-AP00-20220624-SD003.pdf