Millions of familiar INS-issued "green cards" and border crossing cards will soon be replaced new high tech replacements. The new INS green card (the nick name for a permanent residency document) will now have the card holder's data imprinted not only on the card's surface, but also on laser-written hologram on a CD-ROM surface on the back of the card as well as on a CD-ROM.

The news was reported to the Washington Times newspaper by Drexler Technology Corp., a California firm that has won the contract to design the cards. Drexler will earn $13.5 million to produce the first 4 million cards. Drexler reportedly will handle replacement of the Border Crossing cards as well.

The INS-issued border crossing cards for Mexican nationals will soon be replaced by State Department issued "laser visa" cards. The cards will only be issued by American embassies and consulates in Mexico. Border Crossing cards allow Mexican nationals living along the 2,000 mile border to travel into the US for business or personal reasons for periods up to seventy-two hours. Card holders are not permitted to accept employment.

The old cards, often called "micas" or "pasaportes locales" will continue to be honored though September 30, 1999, the end of fiscal year 1999. The INS stopped accepting applications for the old cards on February 13th at its border crossing posts and is now directing applicants to apply at an embassy or consulate.

The first laser visas will be issued beginning April 1st by the US Consulate in Ciudad Juarez for residents of the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Before year's end, all consulates and the US Embassy in Mexico City. The INS will issue temporary cards for people who need a document during the period from February 13th until one of the new cards is available.

The new cards will use compact-disc technology to store information and have security features designed to prevent counterfeiting. While many are promoting the new cards as a new weapon in the fight against fraudulent immigration, immigrant rights organizations have complained about the increased application costs ($45 compared to the current $26 fee) and have expressed skepticism as to the government's ability to absorb the workload. Civil liberty advocates are also worried about government having even more control over the day to day lives of the public.

Congress mandated the replacement of the border crossing card with a new machine-readable card in the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Control Act of 1996.