President Joe Biden’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is reportedly launching a pilot program to provide migrants who have been released into the United States and placed into deportation proceedings with identification (ID) cards. According to a report by Fox News Digital’s Adam Shaw, DHS officials have confirmed the implementation of the Secure Docket Card program this summer, with plans to offer photo IDs to approximately 10,000 migrants who cross the United States-Mexico border and are subsequently released into the U.S. interior.
The pilot program is expected to begin this summer, with the distribution of around 10,000 cards in three or four locations in the U.S. While the specifics of the photo IDs are still under development, DHS has emphasized that they will not serve as an official form of federal identification. ICE officials previously confirmed the development of the program in a year-end report, highlighting the card as a durable and uniform form of identification for noncitizens upon release.
Concerns have been raised by Republicans regarding the potential for abuse of the ID cards by illegal aliens to access benefits such as housing, healthcare, and transportation. A Congressional Budget Office report revealed that Biden’s DHS has welcomed approximately 6.2 million migrants into American communities through its Catch and Release network at the southern border, releasing nearly 200,000 migrants into the U.S. interior every month.
Overall, the pilot program aims to provide identification to migrants in deportation proceedings, but questions remain regarding the potential implications and use of these ID cards moving forward.
