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What forms of U.S. state-issued ID does ICE accept for immigration checks?
Executive summary
ICE’s specific list of state-issued IDs it will accept for immigration checks is not enumerated in the documents provided; available sources discuss TSA acceptance of state digital and physical IDs at checkpoints (including mobile driver’s licenses stored in Apple/Google Wallets) but do not state ICE’s formal, agency-wide policy on which state IDs ICE accepts for immigration enforcement [1] [2]. Guidance for campus or local responses to ICE requests notes ICE must take state/local laws into account but does not list accepted ID forms [3].
1. What the federal travel-screening system accepts — and why people conflate TSA and ICE
TSA’s digital-ID program now allows mobile driver’s licenses (mDLs) and other state-issued digital IDs at more than 250 checkpoints, and participating states’ digital IDs can be added to Apple Wallet, Google Wallet or state apps for use at select TSA checkpoints [1] [2]. Many members of the public therefore assume federal immigration officers (ICE) accept the same digital and physical state IDs when conducting status checks, but the materials you provided do not state that ICE’s operational acceptance rules mirror TSA’s checkpoint rules [1] [2].
2. What the sources explicitly say about ICE and ID checks
The ICE newsroom and related ICE pages in the provided set cover operations, arrests and delegation of immigration authority (287(g)), but they do not provide a publicly posted, comprehensive list of which state-issued physical or digital IDs ICE accepts when asking someone for identification during enforcement [4] [5]. A campus-facing FAQ tells school staff to contact legal counsel when ICE requests information and notes ICE “takes into account any applicable state and local laws,” but this document does not enumerate accepted ID types for ICE checks [3].
3. Digital IDs: state rollouts, TSA acceptance, and limits flagged by state officials
Illinois rolled out the ability to add state driver’s licenses and IDs to Apple Wallet and emphasized those digital IDs can be used at TSA checkpoints and at businesses that opt in, while explicitly stating that law enforcement (police) are not required to accept mobile IDs in routine stops and that physical IDs remain necessary for law enforcement requests [6] [7] [8]. Reporting and state announcements repeatedly stress device dependency and the optional nature of acceptance by private businesses and many law-enforcement contexts [6] [7].
4. Why acceptance can vary by actor and local law
State laws and executive orders affect whether digital IDs or even ICE activities are constrained; the campus guide underlines that ICE must “take into account any applicable state and local laws” when operating [3]. Illinois’ rollout law (HB4592) explicitly allows agencies and private businesses to choose whether to accept electronic IDs and preserves the requirement that residents present a physical ID if law enforcement requests it — which suggests that a federal officer’s practical ability to rely on a state-issued mobile ID in the field may be limited by state law and agency policy [7].
5. Technology and enforcement: tools ICE uses vs. ID acceptance
Reporting shows ICE and related DHS components have been deploying new ID- and face-recognition tools (including apps used by CBP and reported tools accessible to law-enforcement partners), which complicates the picture: technological identification capability is expanding, but the provided reporting does not equate that to an official ICE policy on which state-issued IDs they accept during an immigration interview or stop [9]. The public materials in this set do not say ICE will accept or reject mDLs or specific state documents as a blanket rule [9].
6. What this means for people approached by ICE or at airports
Based on the materials: at TSA checkpoints, travelers can use participating-states’ digital IDs; state digital-ID programs and state law often still require carrying a physical ID for law enforcement stops [1] [7]. The provided ICE and campus guidance does not specify which state IDs ICE accepts during enforcement actions, so people should not assume ICE’s operational acceptance list matches TSA’s list — and campus staff are advised to seek legal counsel upon ICE inquiries [3] [1].
7. Limitations of available reporting and recommended next steps
Available sources do not include an ICE-published, agency-wide list of acceptable state-issued IDs for immigration checks, nor do they document ICE’s treatment of state digital IDs in the field; if you need a definitive operational list for ICE, that information is not found in the current reporting and would require consulting ICE policy documents or contacting ICE directly [3] [4]. For travelers, consult TSA’s participating-states page for which states’ digital IDs are usable at checkpoints [1]. For institutions facing ICE requests, follow the campus FAQ recommendation to contact legal counsel immediately [3].