America’s New Immigrant ID Card: What We Know

(CNN Spanish) — President Joe Biden’s administration is preparing a new identification card for immigrants in response to the influx of immigrants arriving at the U.S. southern border, national security officials said.

This is what we know about this card so far.

What is a “secure file card”?

The ICE Secure Docket Card (SDC) It would facilitate accountability in the immigration process and allow identification of immigrants, acting as a single window to access immigration files.

The card contains the person’s details and a QR code that leads to a portal where the relevant information of the holder can be consulted. On this portal, people can update their information through the migration process and interact with federal authorities.

What data will this card contain?

According to the authorities, so far we know that it can be compared to a photo ID, except that it includes the person’s name and nationality.

Because it matters?

Due to the increase in border migrants seeking asylum in the United States, many of them are routinely undocumented while staying in the country, for example, while waiting for their cases to be resolved in court.

According to the Center for American Progress (CAP), a nonpartisan think tank, said millions of undocumented immigrants live in the U.S. and lack access to an official document, whether it’s a passport or birth certificate, making it difficult for them to go about their daily lives.

Without an official document that identifies them, CAP says, many of the immigrants and their families cannot carry out everyday activities such as opening bank accounts, obtaining health care, enrolling their children in schools or buying a book at the library.

But with this document, the government hopes to identify them to facilitate access to housing, healthcare, transport and other benefits. According to Axios.

Who will this card be issued to?

A Department of Homeland Security official said the card will also be issued to undocumented immigrants arriving in the United States and those enrolled in “alternatives to detention,” or ATD.

It is estimated that a large number of people have been placed in ATD following a shift in detention and an influx of more nationalities who cannot be returned under the Trump-era pandemic emergency rule.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement is tracking more than 300,000 immigrants on ATD, which includes GPS-enabled ankle monitors, phones or an app called SmartLINK, the official said.

What is the purpose of this card of the government?

The initiative is part of an effort by President Joe Biden’s administration to streamline immigration processes that have created confusion among immigrants facing deportation.

The ID is expected to eventually be accepted by the Transportation Security Administration for travel at airports around the country, according to two Homeland Security officials.

This card can be used as identification, but it is not valid as a voting document because only US citizens can vote.

When is this card valid?

A Homeland Security official said ICE plans to test the card by the end of the year.

— With information from CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez.