Originally published February 15 2006
Civil liberties groups say new measure could create a national identification system
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Groups like the Liberty Coalition are concerned the "Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act" could create a dangerous national identity system. The bill makes an eligibility verification system mandatory.
An umbrella organization of dozens of groups that monitor legislation affecting civil liberties says a new immigration-reform measure contains a provision that could lead to de facto establishment of a national identification scheme.
Officials with Liberty Coalition say the bill, called the "Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act," ominously "creates a dangerous new national identity database system and firmly establishes the predicate for a new national ID card system."
In particular, said the organization, Title VII of the bill contains a requirement that employers compare current and prospective workers' Social Security numbers with a Department of Homeland Security database to ensure they are legally able to work in the United States.
"Even setting aside concerns of intentional 'blacklisting' of innocent Americans, even a small error rate could mean millions of Americans forced out of work by computer mistakes," he said.
"This legislation will help restore the integrity of our nation's borders and reestablish respect for our laws by holding violators accountable, including human traffickers, employers who hire illegal aliens and alien gang members who terrorize communities throughout the country," Sensenbrenner said, in a statement.
Terry Shawn, a spokesman for the Judiciary Committee, told WorldNetDaily Sensenbrenner had worked late on legislation and was unavailable for comment.
While a section of the bill says no provision in it "shall be construed to authorize, directly or indirectly, the issuance or use of national identification cards," Liberty Coalition officials point out another section requires Social Security Administration, the Treasury Department and the Department of Justice to submit a report to Congress about creating a machine-readable photo ID based on social security numbers.
"This action is a clear move towards constructing a National ID program, a concept rejected by most Americans," said the group, in a statement.
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