Immigration Reform

Identity is the Cornerstone of Immigration Reform

Knowing an individual is who they say they are is essential to the success of any new immigration reform effort. Such a verification process is the only way to ensure that U.S. workers and legal immigrants are eligible for employment and illegal immigrants are not. However, today there is no effective way for the nation’s seven million employers to realistically determine an individual’s identity and status. Efforts around E-verify are an important step forward but, don’t get to the heart of the issue – are we who we say we are and how can we prove it.

Currently, the Social Security number system used to verify workers is antiquated. All that is required for Social Security verification is the number from an identification credential issued without the benefit of security features or electronic verification processes. For this reason Social Security Numbers are widely available or in some case just made up. In addition other identity credentials including, driver’s license are too easily counterfeited, or can simply be obtained through false means. Federal efforts to make driver’s licenses a more secure and trusted identity credential have largely failed. As a result we are left with an identity verification system that is essentially broken.

As part of the immigration reform discussion biometric enabled credentials are being debated. Whether as an upgraded Social Security Card or as a newly issued e-ID, a biometric credentials enable a true authentication process that will benefit workers, employers and government. Identity when tied to a biometric is the most definitive way to prove who we are. Biometric information roots our identity to our physical person, providing something we are as part of the identification process. Equally important for security and privacy protection of our personal and biometric data is the requirement to tie both elements to a secure electronic credential. Such a credential will enable three things:

1. The individual to control who can access their information
2. The electronic authentication of the credential to determine legitimacy
3. Scalability of authentication capability depending on the requirement of the application

Any identity program must be implemented in a way that enhances and protects the privacy of personal information. It is critically important for individuals to have control of their own identity. Implementing a card solution gives user’s control, as each individual can decide when they want to use it to prove their identity. For any immigration reform effort to be successful it must address identity and include:

• Biometric identifiers, in the form of templates, that definitively tie the individual user to the identity credential.
• Electronic authentication capability.
• Ability to verify the individual locally without requiring every employer to access a biometric database.
• Offline verification capability (eliminating the need for 24/7 online databases).
• Security features that protect the information stored on the card.
• Privacy protections that allow the user to control who is able to access the data on the card.
• Compliance with authentication and biometric standards recognized by domestic and international standards organizations.

Smart cards offer all this functionality. Based on interoperable standards as defined by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), smart cards put 21st century technology to work to secure and protect the identity information of each person. Smart cards incorporate a computer chip into a plastic card. Each chip contains an operating system and security features, including encryption techniques, which protect the information the card stores. When partnered with biometrics, smart cards enable each person to definitively prove they are who they say they are.