Reps. McCaul, Van Drew, Colleagues Introduce the No IDs for Illegals Act

WASHINGTON — This week, Congressman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) joined Rep. Jefferson Van Drew (R-N.J.) and 12 of their colleagues in re-introducing the No IDs for Illegals Act. This comes after reports that the Biden administration is planning to distribute identification cards to illegal immigrants, further incentivizing illegal immigration into the United States. 

"Under the Biden administration's open-border policies, illegal border crossings have reached an unsustainable record high, wreaking havoc on our nation's communities. It's incomprehensible to think we would reward this criminal behavior by granting those present in the country illegally an ID that all but legitimizes their presence and is intended to be used in ways beyond their immigration proceedings," said Rep. McCaul. "It's insulting to those who made sacrifices in order to follow our nation's laws to live the American dream." 

"Last year, I introduced the No IDs for Illegals Act after it was discovered that the Biden administration had plans to provide illegal immigrants with government-issued ID cards. Now, the administration plans to reintroduce the same proposal, at a time when illegal immigration is surging and so-called sanctuary states are buckling under the pressure from the influx of migrants," said Rep. Van Drew. "This is not just a crisis; it is an invasion that has been allowed due to the dereliction of duty from Secretary Mayorkas and President Biden. By providing illegal immigrants with ID cards, this administration will only exacerbate the invasion taking place. It is also certainly not out of the realm of possibilities that these identification cards could be used to eventually vote in American elections, as some on the left have already proposed. I thank my colleagues for joining me in these efforts to stop this ill-advised policy before it begins." 

"The Biden Administration's lawless immigration policies have jeopardized our national security," said Rep. Higgins. "We must secure our southern border once and for all. We're literally disintegrating our country every day Biden policies remain in place. America deserves effective border security, and I oppose giving migrants any further incentive to enter the United States." 

"The Biden Administration has incentivized and monetized illegal immigration, leading to a record number of migrants and drugs unlawfully crossing America's southern border. We must ensure that illegal migrants do not receive official ID cards that will only act as an incentive for more migrants to cross the border illegally. I'm proud to support this commonsense bill, and I urge its swift passage through Congress," said Rep. Lesko.

"Using taxpayer funds to provide government-issued photo identification to illegal aliens is a back door to normalizing their presence while worsening the crisis at the southern border by further incentivizing more illegal migration," said Rep. Posey. 

"Voting is one of the most sacred rights and responsibilities we have as Americans and should be reserved for the legal citizens of our country," said Rep. Tenney. "Cities like New York have already allowed noncitizens to vote, and by granting illegal immigrants Secure Docket Cards, we are one step closer to allowing non-citizens to vote in our federal elections. The No IDs for Illegals Act works to ban federal funding from being used to support these cards that would give illegal immigrants access to the sacred rights of United States citizens." 

"It is vitally important that only citizens are issued American IDs. I'm proud to cosponsor this bill and to continue working to protect American citizens from President Biden's disastrous border policies," said Rep. Guest. 

Background: 

Reports show that border crossings have hit or exceeded 10,000 per day, indicating that September will likely be the highest month on record. The No IDs for Illegals Act:

• Provides that no federal funds may be used for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Secure Docket Card Program; and

• Provides that no federal funds may be used to establish, implement, or otherwise support the activities of the Secure Docket Card Program, or any other similar program of the Department of Homeland Security.

Original cosponsors of the bill include Representatives Pat Fallon (R-Texas), Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), Clay Higgins (R-La.), Troy Nehls (R-Texas), Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.), Wesley Hunt (R-Texas), Bill Posey (R-Fla.), Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.), Michael Guest (R-Miss.), Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.), Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.), and Pete Sessions (R-Texas). 

Click here to read the full bill text.

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