Los Angeles, CA

The L.A. Times today has an article about a proposed new program that will make green cards harder to forge, but it will also crack down a lot harder on all holders of green cards. Before, all green cards were valid indefinitely, and the new proposal would force all green card holders to come in to be fingerprinted and photographed. It would also mandate that all previous green cards — from 1979 on — would be null and void and all would either have to renew and update their cards or face deportation. The new cards would also be good for only ten years, so all holders would have to renew their cards.

The department of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has also admitted that this is a way to round up and nab some green card holders that have turned to crime. By having their photographs and fingerprints in their database, they could catch perps from older crimes that are facing deportation. While many are saying that this new policy is necessary to provide all residents of the U.S. with greater security, and that this action is no different than what legal residents have to do to hold drivers licenses or state ID cards, others are arguing that this is pretty much forcing legal immigrants to turn themselves in and possibly being deported for crimes they have committed. If they were to avoid updating their green cards, it would be next to impossible for these immigrants to leave the country or change jobs.

To read more about the possible new system and what people are saying about it, go here.