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U.S. NEWS Saturday 6 auguSt 2022

U.S. to issue ID to migrants awaiting deportation proceedings

By AMY TAXIN An immigration case can censes, state ID cards and
Associated Press take years and the system consular ID cards. What
U.S. immigration authorities can be confusing, espe- constitutes a valid ID is of-
are planning to issue photo cially for immigrants who ten determined by the en-
ID cards to immigrants in know little English and may tity seeking to verify a per-
deportation proceedings need to work with an array son’s identity.
in a bid to slash paper use of government agencies, Talia Inlender, deputy di-
and help people stay up- including ICE and U.S. Citi- rector of the Center for Im-
to-date on required meet- zenship and Immigration migration Law and Policy
ings and court hearings, of- Services, which issues work at University of California,
ficials said. permits and green cards. Los Angeles’ law school,
The proposal from Immigra- U.S. immigration courts are said she was skeptical
tion and Customs Enforce- overseen by the Justice De- that using a card to ac-
ment is still being devel- partment. cess electronic documents
oped as a pilot program, Gregory Z. Chen, senior would simplify the process
and it was not immediately People line up for a commercial bus that will take them to the director of government for immigrants, especially
clear how many the agen- San Antonio airport at a warehouse run by the Mission: Border relations at the American those navigating the sys-
cy would issue. The cards Hope nonprofit group run by the United Methodist Church in Immigration Lawyers Asso- tem without a lawyer, and
would not be an official Eagle Pass, Texas, May 23, 2022. Associated Press ciation, said migrants have questioned whether the
form of federal identifica- mistakenly gone to ICE of- card has technology that
tion, and would state they what the card might be period of an already-high fices instead of court for could be used to increase
are to be used by the De- used for and how secure 2021. scheduled hearings that government surveillance of
partment of Homeland Se- it would be. Some fear Many migrants are turned they then missed as a re- migrants.
curity. the program could lead away under COVID-19-re- sult. He said so long as im- But having an ID could be
The idea is for immigrants to to tracking of immigrants lated restrictions. But many migrants’ privacy is pro- useful, especially for mi-
be able to access informa- awaiting their day in immi- are allowed in and either tected, the card could be grants who need to travel
tion about their cases on- gration court, while others are detained while their helpful. within the U.S., Inlender
line by using a card rather suggest the cards could cases churn through the “If ICE is going to be using said.
than paper documents advertised by migrant immigration courts or are this new technology to en- “Many people are fleeing
that are cumbersome and smugglers to try to induce released and required to able non citizens to check persecution and torture in
can fade over time, offi- others to make the danger- check in periodically with in with ICE, or to report in- their countries. They’re not
cials said. They said ICE of- ous trip north. ICE officers until a judge formation about their lo- showing up with govern-
ficers could also run checks The Biden administration rules on their cases. cation and address, and ment paperwork,” Inlender
on the cards in the field. is seeking $10 million for Those most likely to be re- then to receive information said. “Having a form of
“Moving to a secure card the so-called ICE Secure leased in the United States about their case — where identification to be able to
will save the agency mil- Docket Card in a budget are from countries where their court hearings might move throughout daily life
lions, free up resources, proposal for the next fiscal expulsion under the public be, what the requirements has the potential to be a
and ensure information is year. health order is complicat- might be for them to com- helpful thing.”
quickly accessible to DHS It was not immediately ed due to costs, logistics ply with the law — that That has some Republican
officials while reducing the clear if the money would or strained diplomatic rela- would be a welcome ap- lawmakers concerned that
agency’s FOIA backlog,” cover the pilot or a broader tions, including Cuba, Ven- proach,” Chen said. the cards could induce
an ICE spokesperson said program or when it would ezuela and Nicaragua. It was not clear whether more migrants to come to
in a statement, referring to begin. At shelters, bus stations and Homeland Security’s Trans- the U.S. or seek to access
unfulfilled public requests The administration has airports along the U.S.-Mex- portation Security Admin- benefits they’re not eligible
for agency documents. faced pressure as the num- ico border, migrants care- istration would accept the for. A group of 16 lawmak-
Homeland Security gets ber of migrants seeking to fully guard their papers in cards for airport travel or ers sent a letter last week to
more Freedom of Informa- enter the country on the plastic folders. These are whether private businesses ICE raising questions about
tion Act requests than any southwest border has in- often the only documents would consider it valid. the plan.
other federal agency, ac- creased. they have to get past air- The United States doesn’t “The Administration is now
cording to government Border Patrol agents port checkpoints to their have a national photo reportedly planning yet an-
data, and many of those in- stopped migrants more final destinations in the Unit- identification card. Resi- other reckless policy that
volve immigration records. than 1.1 million times from ed States. The often dog- dents instead use a range will further exacerbate this
The proposal has sparked January to June, up nearly eared papers can be criti- of cards to prove identifi- ongoing crisis,” the letter
a flurry of questions about one-third from the same cal to getting around. cation, including driver’s li- said.ding.q