Biden administration begins distributing more than 10,000 migrant IDs in several US cities | WSAU News/Talk 550 AM · 99.9 FM

The Mexico-US border line in the community of Sasabe in the state of Sonora, Mexico, on January 13, 2017. Photo by Alfredo Estrella / AFP – Getty Images

WASHINGTON DC (WSAU) – The Biden administration is about to begin their latest immigration program, which will provide migrants living in various cities across the country with identification cards.

According to Fox News, Immigration and Customs Enforcement plans to conduct a “limited rollout” of its Secure Docket Card initiative this summer, which will see 10,000 ID cards given to immigrants in as many as four U.S. cities, including Atlanta and Houston with the rest to be determined.

An ICE spokesperson assured the broadcaster that the IDs will not be usable in the same way as traditional U.S. IDs, saying: “While the details of the card and the pilot are still in development, it is important to note that the secure card is not official form of federal identification,” and continued by saying, “The secure card indicates that it is for use by DHS agencies and would only be issued after national security background checks have been completed.”

The report also included leaked photos of the new ID cards, which show the migrant’s photo, ID number, a QR code and other identifying information. However, no information was provided on how much the program would cost taxpayers.

Several recent polls show that immigration remains the top concern of most voters ahead of the fall election season. A new survey from the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and Ipsos, completed in early April, found that 54% of respondents support continuing border wall construction, and 65% of respondents believe the US government should increase deportations, while another 66% say they believe companies that hire illegal migrant workers instead of US workers should face harsher penalties.

In February 2024 alone, the U.S. Border Patrol recorded 140,644 encounters between ports of entry along the southwestern border. Since May 12, 2023, and through February 29, 2024, DHS has removed or returned more than 593,000 people to their countries of birth, with the vast majority of them entering the U.S. through the Southwest border. The DHS data also shows that since last May, the total number of relocations and deportations has exceeded that of any full fiscal year since 2012.