GOP Immigration Bill Includes National ID Language

by Robert B. Bluey
Posted Dec 8, 2005

http://www.humaneventsonline.com/article.php?print=yes&id=10753

An immigration reform bill moving quickly through the U.S. House of
Representatives contains language requiring the Social Security
Administration, Treasury Department and Department of Justice to study the
concept of a machine-readable Social Security card with a photo ID.

The House Judiciary Committee approved the legislation (H.R. 4437),
sponsored by Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R.-Wis.), on a party-line 23-15 vote
Thursday. Next week the House is set to vote on the bill, which calls for
mandatory verification of employees¹ legal status and increases enforcement
along the Mexican border.

But language about the machine-readable Social Security cards has alarmed
civil libertarians who fear it could lead to a national ID card for all
Americans.

Language in the bill requires the Social Security Administration, Treasury
Department and Department of Justice to submit a report to Congress nine
months after the bill¹s enactment that explores the idea of ³Social Security
cards that are made of a durable plastic or similar material and that
include an encrypted, machine-readable electronic identification strip and a
digital photograph of the individual to whom the card is issued.²

The cards would be issued to both U.S. citizens and non-citizens who are
employed or seeking employment and applicants for new Social Security cards
or new Social Security numbers. The report requires an examination of the
feasibility for employers to use the machine-readable cards to identify an
employee¹s eligibility for hire based on a ³unified database² maintained by
the Department of Homeland Security.

Civil libertarians attacked the bill Thursday.

³This shameful incongruity in national ID language is a textbook example of
Orwellian doublethink,² said Liberty Coalition National Director Michael
Ostrolenk. ³A real border security law would secure the borders, making this
kind of police-state Big Brother tracking of Americans unnecessary. I
strongly urge Congress to remove this section.²

While the Liberty Coalition expressed concern about the government¹s
studying the concept of a machine-readable Social Security card, it also
criticized language that would require employers to start verifying job
applicants¹ legal status -- a provision that has the support of conservative
Republicans seeking to crack down on employment of illegal aliens.

The illegal alien verification system, to be maintained by the Department of
Homeland Security, would offer employers a toll-free telephone number to
check an employee¹s status as a U.S. citizen. Within three days, employers
would have an answer from the government.

³Even setting aside concerns of intentional Œblacklisting¹ of innocent
Americans, even a small error rate could mean millions of Americans forced
out of work by computer mistakes,² said Liberty Coalition Policy Director
James Plummer. ³Homeland Security has a poor record of putting innocent
Americans on secretive ³no-fly² lists, and should not be entrusted with
determining who is allowed is to make a living in this country.²
Copyright © 2005 HUMAN EVENTS. All Rights Reserved.



You are a subscribed member of the infowarrior list. Visit
www.infowarrior.org for list information or to unsubscribe. This message
may be redistributed freely in its entirety. Any and all copyrights
appearing in list messages are maintained by their respective owners.

Reply via email to