Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee Chairman Charles Schumer announced yesterday at his panel's hearing on immigration reform that he expects to introduce legislation by Labor Day which would require every citizen and immigrant working in the United States to have fingerprint information on file with the government, associated with either a new identification number or a plastic ID card identifying the person as someone legally authorized to work in this country. Akin to a social security card, passport, driver's license and company identification cards at many places of employment, the card could eventually substitute for all of those things if the computer information now associated with each different form of identification were to be linked by computer to the new identification number or card.
The Homeland Security Department estimates it would cost more than $200 million annually to operate such a system once it is up and running. Extrapolation from that figure indicates the initial cost of setting up the system and fingerprinting all working citizens and resident aliens authorized to work here would cost between $2 billion and $5 billion. Illinois Congressman Luis Gutierrez of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus strongly favors the proposal, saying, "As Congress examines biometrics as part of a new and better system, I want to encourage you to ignore the naysayers, those who claim this can't be done. Incorporating an effective employment verification system is our only hope for truly ending illegal immigration."
Welcome to Gattaca, ladies and gentlemen. Form a line here, roll up your sleeves and ink your fingertips.
