Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) met yesterday with President Obama to discuss their immigration reform proposal.  When he was a presidential candidate, Obama promised he would address immigration reform early in his administration; the Senators’ plan offers the beginnings of the debate.  One topic on the agenda for yesterday’s meeting was a proposed biometric-enabled ID card that allows for the definitive identification of workers.

The proposed ID differs from prior proposals in that it would be issued to every American worker, not just guest worker populations.  Initial critics of the proposal called the ID card solution an “affront to civil liberties” and suggested the government would track card holders.  Concerns about civil liberties are important, but those concerns can be addressed through the policy process: curbing who has access to information in the database and limiting the scope of how that information is used; in this case, limiting the legal use of the information solely for worker identification. Framed properly within the law, issuing a secure identity card to every American does nothing to undermine civil liberties.  In fact, it strengthens citizens’ ability to protect their own personal information and ensures that no one else can use their identity for nefarious purposes.  As proposed, the ID would only be for worker authentication, replacing the Social Security card employers are required to validate at point of hire.  As Senator Graham said, “We’ve all got Social Security cards. They’re just easily tampered with. Make them tamper-proof. That’s all I’m saying.”

To crack down on fraud, there needs to be a way to accurately prove an individual is who they say they are and that they’re eligible to work in the U.S.  The current Social Security card lacks the most basic security protections and can easily be tampered with or forged.   Biometric IDs would protect an individual’s identity by ensuring no one else can masquerade as another person.  Biometric IDs would also protect business owners from unknowingly hiring an illegal worker who may present fraudulent identification documents.  When used in this context, the biometric ID actually becomes a transformative technology that would take the burden of authenticating the identity of a worker from business owners and HR managers and places it securely on an encrypted chip, backed by a proven process. If immigration reform is to succeed, then biometric IDs are the lynch pin to that success, as they would effectively eliminate the one reason why millions of illegal aliens cross our borders every year: to take jobs.

The design and functionality of the Social Security card has not been upgraded since the Social Security program was first created in 1930. Today we use a simple, almost primitive card to prove we can legally work in the U.S., open bank accounts, get loans and mortgages, and even rent an apartment.  In fact the card, as it’s currently issued, is effectively useless, as most people simply recite the number from memory.  Unfortunately, that explains why it’s so easy for the illegal workforce to gain access to employment.  In an ironic twist of logic, local public parks and recreation cards are actually more secure than the Social Security card, and those cards only allow access to public tennis courts and outdoor swimming pools.  It hardly seems reasonable that the security of our identity, financial history, worker eligibility and future Social Security benefits should be secured and protected at a lower level than access to the local kiddie pool.