You know the silliest part of this whole debate over illegal immigration and immigration reform is the bit about profiling. How demeaning, some say, to be stopped by the police and be told, "Show me your papers!" Well, every time I've been stopped by police the first statement out of their mouth is, "Show me your ID!" Now this gets to the crux of the problem. The US in its hodge podge way doesn't have a high tech national ID card linked to a database that would provide not only criminal information about the person but also citizenship information. What I'm recommending is that the citizenship info would just be a standard part of every ID check, period. Then no hassle, no profiling, no complaining from those who would just be too embarassed if they were singled out for a citizenship check. It would all be too simple. Instead we get veritable outrage at the thought that someone would have to prove their citizenship when stopped by police. It should just be de rigeur or standard operating procedure for everyone.
And yes there should be guidelines for the police to prevent abuses on their part. People shouldn't be stopped on the street just for walking their dog. There should be probable cause or reasonable suspicion. I don't anticipate that they would be stopping Hispanics randomly and demanding ID. But surely traffic stops, the main situation in which the public encounters the police should provide routine citizenship checks in a national data base.
And then there are the policemen who say "Not my job." They've got enough to do without having to check for citizenship. Ridiculous. They are the first line of defense out there on the street. They should check for any form of illegal activity and being in the country illegally is a form of illegal activity. What are taxpayers supposed to do - pay twice or three or four times - once for police, once for citizenship checkers, once for the military, once for the National Guard. Couldn't these functions be simplified and reduced into a rational and orderly structure? I say the police are and should be the first line of defense. Then they can turn potential problems over to more specialized people if need be.
Much has been made about the truck driver who was hauled off to jail in shackles by police after he produced a valid driver's license but failed to produce his birth certificate. Of course, this was a travesty. One should not have to carry his birth certificate around with him. But that's where a credit card size national ID card that fits in one's wallet could provide a simple answer to a simple request - "Show me your ID" instead of "Show me your papers." And it would apply to everyone - not just to Hispanics. Hence - NO PROFILING - OK? There is a new wallet size high tech passport card that would do the trick. Everyone should simply be required to have one if another dedicated national ID card is not forthcoming. It has a built-in RFID chip that provides non-duplicatable positive ID linked evidently to a national data base. If this data base is sufficient, then case closed. A similar card needs to be provided for non-citizens who are, however, in this country legally with student visas, for example. But that's part of the national infrastructure that the US has no money for. Instead it will spin its wheels and get outraged over the outrageousness of asking brown skinned people to "Show me your papers!" It makes for better TV and better ratings. If it bleeds it leads, and if they are outraged, they will get on TV. Ask the Tea Partiers.
India has recently done a census and taken a fingerprint from everyone. They will then come up with a national ID card and a national database. That should pretty much solve the problem of who is a citizen and who's not at least for India. Why can't the US do the same?
Now for people who are not US citizens but are in the country legally, a national ID card could be provided for them too. The database would simply indicate that they were not citizens but were in the US legally under whatever situation would apply. Therefore, it would be entirely possible to have positive ID for everyone in the US that would be linked to not only their criminal record (if any) but also to their citizenship status. Obviously, those here illegally would not be able to produce legal ID. The resources are available to make these cards non-counterfeitable, and it would seem in an age of terrorism that it would be a good thing to have this tool available for law enforcement. The police should be in a position to apprehend criminals of any stripe, and I would categorize anyone participating in illegal activity as a criminal. Certainly illegal immigrants are participating in an illegal activity - just being in the US without permission.
This is only one aspect of the immigration problem, of course. Certainly employers employing illegals should be cracked down on as they are being. Witness the San Diego restaurant that's being taken to task. The other element of the situation, and the primary element to be sure, is stronger border protection. The resources devoted to the military should be redirected to protecting the border. Don't tell me that if only a fraction of the military R&D budget were devoted to coming up with ways to have stronger and more robust border protection that it couldn't be done. Instead of more billion dollar planes and battle groups the Homeland Security budget should be augmented. This would be true defense instead of the fantasy defense of spending billons of dollars chasing down rag tag groups half way around the world and getting in league with corrupt dictators.
No one should have to carry their birth certificate or immigration papers around with them. Instead legal ID, preferably a wallet size US passport card or other form of national ID card that would be linked to a data base that would show citizenship status should be provided and required to show for everyone.
