Column:
Real ID Act hurts more than it helps
Published May 6, 2005
Any immigrants planning on sneaking into the United States might want to step up their plans and cross the border soon. A House and Senate conference committee is working on ironing out the Real ID Act, a piece of legislation buried in an Iraq appropriations bill that would implement greater security measures meant to prevent illegal immigration.
When you consider the hype the Bush administration has created for "homeland security," it seems the Real ID Act might be a concrete step toward making the United States more secure for those of us who live here. It also, however, makes life more dangerous for those who may be looking to the United States for asylum, as they would now be required to submit documentation of their reasons for seeking refuge. This sounds reasonable until one considers the reasons someone is generally seeking asylum: abuses inflicted by their government or other civil rights violations in their home countries. How can we expect those seeking asylum to submit paper documentation of these events?
The United States has one of the most exhaustive asylum processes in the world. Making it even more strict might not reduce the number of illegal immigrants in this country, but increase their numbers. After all, if asylum seekers know the chances of being accepted are ridiculously slim, why would they feel the need to apply at all? Chances are, they might simply continue to live in the United States illegally.
The Real ID Act also muddles the role of driver's licenses. The bill would require states to adopt driver's license standards, requiring proof of legal residency in the United States before a driver's license is issued. While states would not necessarily have to adopt this provision, there is an incentive to do so. If they don't, driver's licenses from that state could no longer be used as federal identification, such as identification needed to board a plane.
Essentially, the Real ID Act creates a federal identification card. It creates a way for the government to keep track of everyone who lives in the United States, without ever directly bringing the issue before Congress. Because the government is essentially instituting a national identification system, this issue affects everyone, not only illegal immigrants. By masking the creation of a government identification system and calling it an immigration issue, the administration is avoiding debate on what otherwise might have been a legitimate idea.
What's worse is this provision is not going to convince people to immigrate legally, but will further cause transgression. Chances are, people will still immigrate illegally, and they will avoid driving. They also might continue to drive, but never actually receive their driver's license. That means this provision might do nothing more than create more unlicensed, uninsured drivers on our roads.
Securing our borders is an important step toward the elusive "homeland security," but the Real ID Act is not going to do anything constructive toward alleviating the flow of illegal immigrants into the country. To prevent illegal immigration, the administration must first give those looking to immigrate a reason to do so legally. Otherwise, most will continue to simply avoid the laws and continue to avoid paying taxes, existing only on paper.