The United States government will develop an identification card for undocumented immigrants who are at the end of their residency application processes, according to sources from the Department of Homeland Security cited by the US media CNN and Axios.
The authorities will seek that this document serve as a single window to access immigration files, in addition to facilitating accountability in the immigration process, according to CNN.
The news broke on July 22, a week after the Joe Biden administration issued a new U.S. immigration enforcement directive that asks federal agents to question immigrants about their status. of parents or guardians during detentions.
The directive, issued to all Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) employees, also calls for previously deported immigrants to be allowed to return to the country on a temporary basis for child custody hearings.
This is what we know about the card.
What is it and what data will it include?
The card will include the person’s name and nationality, officials told CNN. Axios notes that the card would likely include a QR code that would provide the affiliate with access to information and court documents through an app, the sources said.
What objective does the program have?
The initiative is part of an effort by the administration of President Joe Biden to streamline immigration processes that have often led to confusion among immigrants facing deportation.
The number of people crossing the US-Mexico border in recent months often do not have identification — such as a passport or birth certificate — making it difficult to access housing, health care, transportation and other benefits.
According to the Center for American Progress (CAP), a nonpartisan think tank, many of the migrants and their families are unable to carry out daily activities such as opening bank accounts, obtaining health care, enrolling their children in school or even borrow a book from the library.
The program could also potentially decrease the growing number of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for information on immigration cases.
Who will receive the card?
The card will be given to migrants who are undocumented when they arrive in the United States and also those who are enrolled in “alternatives to detention” or ATD, the DHS official told CNN.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is monitoring more than 300,000 migrants in ATD, which may include GPS-enabled ankle monitors, phones or an app known as SmartLINK, according to the official.
When do the pilot tests start?
ICE plans to test the card by the end of the year, a Homeland Security official told CNN.
With information from Reuters
