Immigrants To Receive Photo ID Cards In Deportation Proceedings In the US

US – US Immigration authorities are have taken a noble step in issuing photo ID cards to immigrants in deportation proceedings. While this will make things easier to streamline, it will also help in reducing paper wastage and help people stay up-to-date on required meetings and court hearings.

These new photo ID cards will help immigrants access information about their cases online. By using these cards, the cumbersome paper documentation is reduced and can eventually fade away over time. This has been confirmed by officials. They have further added that the ICE officers can also run checks on the cards in the field.

It is to be noted that these cards would however be not treated as an official form of federal identification. They would also clearly state in which states that these cards are to be used by the Department of Homeland Security.

“Moving to a secure card will save the agency millions, free up resources, and ensure information is quickly accessible to DHS officials while reducing the agency’s FOIA backlog,” an ICE spokesperson said in a statement, referring to unfulfilled public requests for agency documents. Homeland Security gets more Freedom of Information Act requests than any other federal agency, according to government data, and many of those involve immigration records.

There is good and bad thought behind the use of the cards though. Keeping critical paperwork safe as they traverse from one spot to another, for immigrants the card is going to be boon of sorts. 

It was not clear whether Homeland Security’s Transportation Security Administration would accept the cards for airport travel or whether private businesses would consider it valid. America does not give the advantage of a nationalized photo id to its citizens. This would be the first of its kind to be used by migrants for which President Joe Biden is pushing for a $10 million for the so-called ICE Secure Docket Card.