The ID Card Issue

Arizona’s fear-based legislation aiming at restricting illegal immigration to the state was to be expected. Any area where the population of aliens suddenly reaches 30 percent is going to have a very uneasy 70 percent. Golden-agers suddenly faced with gangs, violence, drugs and lawlessness are going to react, and SB-1070 is exactly that: a reaction, a desire to return to return to more peaceful times when things were “as they should be.”

The real question being discussed is racial profiling. Will SB-1070 lead authorities—police or otherwise—to target brown-skinned folks? Undoubtedly. The odds are high that a blue-eyed, blond-haired illegal female immigrant from Denmark will ever end up in an Arizonan line-up… 

The law has re-ignited the national ID card debate.

The US is one of the very few developed country that does not routinely issue identity cards to its citizens. Technically, the only piece of official identification issued to a native-born American is a birth certificate and a Social Security card, neither of which are routinely carried around, and drivers’ licenses or state-issued IDs for those who don’t drive are not mandatory.

Non-native born, i.e., legal immigrants, are issued green cards and, if they eventually opt for citizenship, a certificate suitable for framing. Neither of these documents is supposed to be used as ID, though the green card often is. The quandary, of course, is that an American citizen born in the US who appears to be Hispanic will not have a green card, and may not have any identification at all. What to do then?

Both the left and the right see a national ID as yet another step towards Big Brotherism, but it’s probably time to get past that notion. Congress recently passed—with little debate—the Real ID Act, which will require that states verify every license applicant's identity and residency status, and that they store addresses, names, and driving records in a database that every other state can access. It also mandates anti-counterfeiting features for the licenses and a "common machine readable technology." In three years, licenses that don't meet the standards won't be accepted as identification for boarding an airplane, opening a bank account, or satisfying any other federally regulated use.

The Real ID Act is a giant step sideways. The law's sponsor, Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wisconsin) said the law "seeks to prevent another 9/11-type terrorist attack by disrupting terrorist travel." In truth, the act is primarily meant to prevent people who illegally immigrate to the United States from getting licenses.

The requirement that licenses incorporate a "machine-readable technology" is vague. Already, 47 states--all but Alaska, Oklahoma, and Wyoming--have a bar code or a magnetic stripe. Either one would satisfy the law's mandate, as would radio frequency ID (RFID), a broadcast technology planned for upcoming electronic U.S. passports. Many are against using chips with RFID in passports because, amazingly, they can be read from a distance, and broadcasting such passport data could make targets of American travelers.

How privacy concerns should be addressed is up to the Department of Homeland Security. Implementing those decisions, though, will fall squarely on the states.

According to PC World magazine, “the new law could cost the states as much as $1 billion. In addition to purchasing new machines and technology, state Departments of Motor Vehicles will have to hire new people to scan and verify documents. Virginia alone estimates that it will have to spend $237 million.

“The additional time required for verification will mean the end of being able to get a license in the same day. Even if states streamline contacts with utility companies, hospitals, and other organizations that might supply documents, adding even 10 minutes to the time required for each of the millions of licenses involved would translate into a huge new time and manpower burden.

“Aside from issues involving linked databases and stored documents, the new federal law will invalidate existing state laws meant to protect judges, police, and victims of domestic violence.”

So more thought needs to be given to the concept of a national ID. It’s bound to happen, and it will make few people happy. Whatever laws are passed have to be thought out carefully—unlike the Real ID Act, which is more than likely to harm basic rights without solving pressing issues.