Bill seeks tougher border security, license rules

WASHINGTON – The House of Representatives voted 261-161 Thursday to toughen border security and keep driver’s licenses out of the hands of illegal immigrants, in the opening round of a tough and contentious battle to overhaul the nation’s immigration system.

The bill by Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., requires that only U.S. citizens or legal immigrants be eligible for driver’s licenses and sets up national verification standards which would cost states millions of dollars to enforce, they say.

It also toughens requirements for obtaining U.S. political asylum and requires the federal government to complete a fence along a portion of the U.S.-Mexico border in California known as “Smugglers Gulch.” Completion of the fence has been stalled by an environmental dispute.

Sensenbrenner and leading supporters described the proposed “Real ID Act” as an anti-terrorism measure that grew out of recommendations by the 9/11 Commission. But opponents denounced it as a thinly disguised crackdown on illegal immigrants and asylum-seekers trying to escape persecution in their home countries.

Critics also contended that the driver’s license requirements are tantamount to a national identification system.

“The Real ID Act is a real travesty,” declared Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas. He called the bill an outgrowth of “anti-immigrant hysteria.”

The House vote, which came after two days of debate, was the first test on immigration in the month-old 109th Congress and will be followed by months of deliberations on a variety of measures, most prominently President Bush’s proposed immigrant guest-worker plan.

Fueling the debate is how to deal with as many as 10 million illegal immigrants who have poured into the United States over the last three decades. But the issue has also taken on an over-arching national security theme in the post-9/11 era as lawmakers seek to fend off potential terrorists exploiting lax safeguards on immigration.

Sensenbrenner, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said his bill stemmed from the 9/11 Commission’s conclusions that “abuse of the immigration system and a lack of interior enforcement were unwittingly working together to support terrorist activities.”

Supporters repeatedly pointed out that the 9/11 hijackers easily obtained U.S. driver’s licenses and other identification documents.

Although the White House endorsed the measure earlier this week, the bill nevertheless faces uncertainty in the Senate, where even some Republicans are wary of its restrictions on asylum. The House measure is expected to be attached to legislation funding the war in Iraq, a so-called “must pass” bill that would require swift action by the Senate.

As expected, the bill provoked sharp partisan divisions, with all but eight Republicans voting for it and Democrats opposing it by a vote of 152-42. Much of the GOP support came from a large cadre of conservatives who favor a get-tough approach on illegal immigrants and have deep misgivings about Bush’s guest-worker program.

The bill would particularly affect 11 states that don’t require proof of legal status to obtain a driver’s license: Hawaii, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin. But it would force all states to adhere to federal eligibility standards for granting driver’s licenses, which groups representing governors and state legislatures opposed as burdensome and costly.

“It tries to force states to enforce federal immigration laws,” said Cheye Calvo, a Washington official with the National Conference of State Legislatures.

If the bill is approved by Congress and signed into law, states would be required to review supporting documents, such as birth certificates, before granting licenses.

State governments also complain that they would be required to follow new training and security standards and would be threatened with the loss of federal funds unless they participate in a national driver’s license data system that would be created by the bill.

Potential cost to the states has been estimated at $650 million, Calvo said.