Finding Illegals: Identification cards becoming tool for countries

Communist China has hundreds of thousands of cameras in place — coupled with facial recognition software — for tracking its residents.

China also requires that those residents each carry an identification card containing plentiful information about the individual. That information is constantly updated and determines what rights and benefits that person may possess. If, for example, he criticizes the government, he may lose his right to travel by bus. These cards are a tremendously powerful tool for promoting and empowering the autocracy.

The influx of millions of uninvited migrants into Europe has now caused European governments to begin issuing personal identification cards. These cards, of course, have a much more restricted use, although they have caused some citizens to worry about control creep and the diminution of liberty.

Last week, the labor government of the United Kingdom voted to issue its own identification cards. I learned about it from a UK blog which viewed the action as disastrous.

In fact, it viewed the action as using illegal immigration numbers as an excuse for introducing the cards (the real motive being the exercise of control over the citizens). It pointed out that each card would feed a central data bank containing not only citizenship information, but also health and healthcare specifics about each person. It further pointed out that such government data banks were often hacked, and that the new system therefore puts everyone at significant risk. It also sees the action as a direct attack on liberty.

The United States, during the last several years, has also been developing an identification card required for flying on an airplane.

Those of you who are drivers probably already possess it. It’s called the “real driver’s license” — also known as REAL ID. My wife and I just got ours a couple of months ago. The U.S. has no doubt developed this back-door form of identification because politicians realized that issuance of a separate card to everyone legally in the country would cause a tremendous backlash and would probably cause the defeat of a good number of office holders at the polls.

The fact that only drivers have such a card, however, causes a problem. How can ICE easily determine the legality of young people and non-drivers?

There has been considerable unrest recently among Hispanics who are wondering if they will be detained merely because they are Hispanic and either speak Spanish or speak with an accent. The same unrest also exists among people of other nationalities with accents. There is no easy answer to their concern because of the lack of any universal national I.D. It is important to realize, however, that while the Supreme Court does allow ethnicity and language to be factors used by ICE in determining who to question concerning legality, it requires that they not be the only factors. Other factors, in addition, must be present to allow for such a questioning.

That’s why much of ICE’s activities take place around a workplace. ICE agents use employment records to determine whether an individual has submitted valid paperwork. That method, of course, is not foolproof since social security cards may be borrowed or fake. There is no easy way to determine an individual’s origin without a national I.D. Card.

In the past, that wasn’t particularly a problem since numbers entering the country illegally were relatively low. We have our problem now thanks to Biden’s policies which have brought 10 million plus new people into the country within a four-year period. ICE is charged under the law with rooting these people out and sending them back home. Because of the lack of information or documentation, ICE will sometimes make unfortunate mistakes. When they do, blame Joe Biden.

President Donald Trump has no choice but to evict these interlopers. They haven’t been vetted, and some are dangerous. The sheer numbers are also calamitous. They steal jobs from the hurting, and (if left unchecked) they’ll bankrupt government programs that help the poor, as well as those which provide prepaid retirement benefits.

We don’t have a perfect system for uncovering who came here illegally during the last four years. We are, therefore, frightening some and angering others. I would urge patience in dealing with the problem. There isn’t likely to be a perfect system without introduction of national identification cards (which everyone would hate). Government workers are trying hard (even as they’re being attacked and shot).

Yes, they wear face masks, but that’s to protect their families from attack by terrorists. They also display badges which identify themselves as law enforcement.

If we treat them with respect, they’ll be better able to spend the time necessary to avoid mistakes.