(NewsInsights.org) – Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began considering a program to modernize how the agency tracks and removes illegal immigrants from the US in 2022. The then-Democratic-led Congress approved a $10 million appropriation in the FY2023 budget to start the Secure Docket Card (SDC) program. However, Some GOP lawmakers are blasting the new identification plan and backing their words up with actions.
On May 14, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) introduced legislation that would prohibit Homeland Security or its agencies, like ICE or Customs and Border Protection, from using federal funding to create the SDC program or to allow the government to use any such immigration documentation to obtain federal benefits.
Hawley issued a press release arguing that President Joe Biden opened the floodgates at the border with Mexico by changing beneficial policies his predecessor had implemented. The senator said the president should work to secure the border and deport illegal migrants instead of giving them ID cards, paving the way for them to “take advantage” of taxpayer benefits.
Hawley elaborated by claiming the SDCs might enable immigrants to access federal benefits, including public housing and healthcare, at taxpayers’ expense. He worried that would only prompt more foreigners to seek entry into the nation illegally.
On May 16, Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX) introduced a companion measure in the House. Like Hawley, Nehls also issued a press release blaming Biden’s policies for the border crisis and chastising the president and his administration for failing to address the problem.
ICE is reportedly planning a limited 10,000-card rollout of the card program later this summer. An ICE spokesperson said the cards would “modernize” various paper forms the agency already provides to “provisionally released noncitizens.” An SDC would contain a photo, biographic information like country of origin and birth date, and security features, including national security background check information.
ICE officials have noted that the paper forms it issues tend to degrade quickly, causing communication difficulties between the agency and the thousands of noncitizens it must monitor. They argued that the cards, which would denote exclusive use by the Department of Homeland Security and its agencies, would make periodic reporting easier for migrants, helping ICE track movements and, when necessary, remove individuals.
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