Got ID? We All May Need to Show to Work

Immigration reform proposal could get you carded

Got a job? You may need proof that you're legal in order to get one – in the form of a new ID card that includes "biometric information" – if a Democratic immigration reform plan becomes a reality.

The proposal was unveiled Thursday, and it calls for every worker in the country to carry a card with biometric information, like a fingerprint.

“The cardholders’ identity will be verified by matching the biometric identifier store within the micro-processing chip on the card to the identifier provided by the cardholder that shall be read by the scanner used by the employer,” according to the legislation.

BusinessWeek said the legislation would require the Social Security Administration to oversee the new system as to prevent hiring of illegal immigrants.

Groups like the ACLU, obviously, hate the idea.

“Creating a biometric national ID will not only be astronomically expensive, it will usher government into the very center of our lives.” Christopher Calabrese of the ACLU told The Hill.

But supporters of the proposal say the card is vital for the sake of national security.

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“For a long time it was resisted by many groups,” Illinois senator Dick Durbin told The Hill. “But now we live in a world where we take off our shoes at the airport and pull out our identification… People understand that in this vulnerable world, we have to be able to present identification.”

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