U.S. passport cards and second generation border crossing cards mostly meet applicable standards, according to an investigation by the Government Accountability Office.

According to GAO, "The passport card includes eight of approximately 11 [International Civil Aviation Organization]-recommended basic security features and the BCC includes seven of the 11 basic security features. However, the security that would be offered by the missing features is either provided by other security features or would not significantly improve the security of the cards." This is ensured by by layered security features such as overlapping the photograph and biographical data printed on the card, making it difficult to alter either without causing visible damage.

But while card technology itself only needs minor tweaking, most Customs and Border Patrol agents generally give the cards just a glance, according to the report. 

"CBP contends that physical handling of the cards is not always necessary and is not the most efficient means of verifying their validity," said Jerald Levine, Homeland Security Department's director of the DHS departmental GAO/OIG liaison office, in a letter to GAO. 

DHS contends that actual handling the cards is not necessarily efficient and most verification can be done "by utilizing RFID technology, Vehicle Primary Client and other primary systems."

The largest threat is not fraudulent documents, but "imposters utilizing genuine documents," Levine wrote.

For more:
- see the report, GAO-10-589 (.pdf)

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