Nat’l ID card + microchip required by Immigration Bill

The NYT reported yesterday (3/18/10) that senators Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York, and Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina have introduced:

“..a proposal to overhaul the immigration system, which would require illegal immigrants to admit they broke the law before they could gain legal status and require all workers in the United States to carry a biometric identity card to prove that they are eligible to work…..

The plan calls for a big increase in immigration agents patrolling workplaces, and would require all workers, including legal immigrants and American citizens, to present a tamper-proof Social Security card when they apply for jobs. Biometric identity information would be stored on the card and not in any government database, according to an explanatory document from the senators.”

Information about biometric ID cards is easier to find at British websites, since they are far advanced in civilian surveillance and control.  The Biometric Identity Cards site opines:

What biometric information will be stored on the card?

The government has not yet been able to decide exactly what information will be stored.  There are many issues to consider.  Whatever measurement is chosen must be something that doesn’t generally change, and that can be easily provided by most people, including disabled or elderly people.  The most likely candidates are finger prints and images of the iris of the eye which, like fingerprints, [and DNA] are believed to be unique to each person.

How will the information used once it is on the card?

The government has not had much to say about how the information will be used.  Their silence is understandable because they know that the truth will be quite unpalatable to any sensible person who has more than a modicum of understanding of history.  Two simple facts need to be understood:

First, merely issuing identification cards doesn’t achieve anything … identification cards only have any purpose if they are checked and used to control access to places and services.

Second, the information on the card has to be checked against some other list.  Since that list will be stored on a computer it means that every use of the card can be monitored and traced and since that card is inextricably linked to you, that means that your activity can be monitored and you can be traced.

The prospective use, and inevitable misuse and abuse of the information is the reason that this web site exists and we invite you to read all the articles in order to understand fully the dangers of what the government is proposing.  Biometric identification systems are not the benign tool of liberal and socialist governments that the UK government likes to claim.  On the contrary, such systems would make an ideal tool with which to introduce tyranny and oppression.

With the failure of the Real ID Program to overcome costs, it was inevitable that a similar measure would soon be introduced by those who seek to use technology to control and oppress.

See also this informative article:

Senators Unveil Yet Another Flawed National ID Card Plan