U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is considering a proposal to eliminate hundreds of thousands of green cards issued years ago without expiration dates, it was reported Monday.
The move would help the agency track down individuals who have committed crimes and might be eligible for deportation, according to the Los Angeles Times.
By requiring immigrants to reapply for new cards, the federal agency would be able to update their personal information, conduct background checks and electronically store their fingerprints and photographs, the paper said.
Authorities estimate there are 750,000 such green cards in circulation -- some of which are now nearly 30 years old. They were issued between 1979 and 1989.
Newer cards, which expire after 10 years, are equipped with technology that makes them less susceptible to fraud, immigration services spokeswoman Sharon Rummery said. For example, the new cards feature miniature images of all the U.S. presidents, she said.
"There is, of course, a security aspect to it," she said. "It's harder to counterfeit the newer green cards."
Groups that favor more controls on immigration said the change is necessary for national security. The new cards provide "at least a speed bump along the road" for counterfeiters, said Rick Oltman, spokesman for Californians for Population Stabilization.
"With freedom comes responsibility," Oltman said. "It doesn't seem to be too onerous a thing to require them to get new green cards that provide greater security and give us all greater peace of mind."
But some immigration attorneys and advocates said the proposal is just another way to round up legal permanent residents with criminal records. Under the law, green card holders who have committed certain crimes are eligible for deportation.
"They don't have the manpower to find these people," said Los Angeles immigration attorney Carl Shusterman. "This makes it kind of easy. The people will have to come to them .... A lot of people will be put into deportation proceedings."
Source: Xinhua
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