By Boubacar Barry

The U.S. House of Representatives approved new sets of rules Thursday which will require states to issue only federally approved electronic ID cards, including driver’s licenses.

House Rule 418 also known as the Real ID Act, states that driver’s licenses and other ID cards must include a digital photograph, anticounterfeiting features and undefined "machine-readable technology, with defined minimum data elements,” which could include a magnetic strip or RFID tag.

According to the Associate Press, states would have three years to comply with the new federal standards. They could still issue special driving permits to illegal aliens, but those permits would not be recognized as identities for boarding airlines or allowing entry to federal buildings.

Currently, ten states don't require license applicants to prove they are citizens or legal residents: Hawaii, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Washington, Wisconsin and Utah.

“We allow people with an ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number) to get a license,” said Sgt. Wade Breur of the Utah Department of Public Safety. “We’re not checking their status as a citizen.”

In a statement made on the House floor in support of H.R. 418, U.S. Rep. Chris Cannon said, “Our immigration laws and policies must reflect the realities we face today. Our economy demands workers, but our national security demands that we identify those lurking in the shadows.”

Before Utah started allowing people to use their ITIN to receive a license, there were many hit and runs because people didn’t have licenses or insurance Breur said. He said it was a tough situation because they couldn’t get an ID to obtain insurance, so they drive without insurance.

“If a person has a driver’s license they are easier to identify,” Breur said. “We know where they live and they are able to obtain insurance and registration on their vehicle.”

Under H.R. 418, states would be required to demand proof of the person's Social Security number and confirm that number with the Social Security Administration.

“We already have digital pictures and magnetic strips on the licenses,” Breur said. The only change that will need to be made is with how licenses are distributed in the future.

A segment of Real ID requires states to link their databases of personal information with each other in addition to Canada and Mexico. They would also have to scan in documents showing the person's date of birth and immigration status, and create a massive store "so that the (scanned) images can be retained in electronic storage in a transferable format" permanently.

The ACLU released a statement likening the new rules to a "de facto national ID card," saying the measure would force "states to deny driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants" and make DMV employees act as agents of the federal immigration service.

“The American people are not anti-immigrant,” said Cannon. “We are concerned about the lack of coherence in our immigration policy and enforcement.

The Bush administration said in a statement this week they “strongly support H.R. 418, to strengthen the United States against terrorist entry into and activities within the United States.”

House Republicans cited the fact that many of the 9-11 hijackers had multiple licenses as a reason for their support of H.R. 418.

The AP notes many governors, state legislatures and motor vehicle departments protested the bill, calling it a costly mandate that forces states to take on the role of immigration officers. The Congressional Budget Office estimated the bill would cost local, state and tribal governments $120 million over the next five years.

A spokesperson for Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr. said he supports the bill, but he will wait until it passes the Senate and it is in its final form to fully back it.

“The appealing part of the bill is that it eliminates or alleviates fraud,” the spokesperson said.

The Real ID Act passed by a 261-161 vote, largely along party lines. Though it won the Bush administration's support this week but still faces stiff opposition in the Senate.



Copyright Brigham Young University 11 Feb 2005