Cape News

U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) has introduced the No Taxpayer Funds for Illegal Immigrant Identity Cards Act, which seeks to prevent President Biden's Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from using taxpayer money to issue identity cards to illegal immigrants.

"Joe Biden opened the border and ushered in an era of unprecedented chaos in the U.S. And, now, rather than getting the crisis under control, he wants to use Americans’ money to fund ID cards for illegals,” said Senator Hawley. “Enough. Biden should be deporting illegal immigrants and securing our border—not giving them IDs and making it easier for them to take advantage of taxpayer benefits."

The DHS is planning a new initiative, the ICE Secure Docket Card Program, set to launch this summer. This program aims to provide thousands of illegal immigrants with “Secure Docket Cards" that include a photograph and biographical information. Critics argue that these identity cards could allow illegal immigrants access to certain privileges and government benefits such as housing, healthcare, or transportation—all at American taxpayers' expense—while potentially encouraging more illegal immigration into the country.

The proposed No Taxpayer Funds for Illegal Immigrant Identity Cards Act would restrict the DHS Secretary from using taxpayer funds to establish the ICE Secure Docket Card program or any similar program providing taxpayer-funded identity cards to illegal immigrants. It would also require the DHS Inspector General to report any costs associated with such programs.

Senator Hawley had previously expressed concerns over the Biden Administration's handling of identification forms used by illegal immigrants in a 2022 letter addressed to the Transportation Security Administration. In this letter, he sought answers about instances where arrest warrants and notices of deportation were used as valid identification at checkpoints and on commercial airplanes.