Republicans in the House of Representatives consider the document called the "Real ID Act" a critically necessary addition to internal security. According to the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Congressman James Sensenbrenner, the bill is aimed at preventing a repeat of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack: "Immigrants, with rare exceptions, are not terrorists. But we must be sure that documents people use in the United States clearly indicate who these people are and why they are here."
The law would give judges more power to determine the credibility of political asylum applicants and identify false claims. The Department of Homeland Security would have to strengthen border patrols and locate illegal immigrants. Political asylum applicants would also have to prove that the main reason for granting it is persecution on racial, religious or national grounds, or because of membership in a particular social group.
However, at the center of the debate is not only the issue of granting political asylum, but also the methods used by the September 11 hijackers to operate in the United States. "The 19 terrorists had 63 American driver's licenses," says Congressman Duncan Hunter, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. "These licenses allowed them to receive money, use transportation, and carry out an attack on our country." Hunter considers this the main reason for changing the fact that driver's licenses are used as identification.
The bill proposes stricter requirements before issuing driver's licenses or identification cards, including confirmation that the person is a U.S. citizen or is in the country legally. James Sensenbrenner notes that his goal is to close loopholes in the identification issuance process that terrorists exploited in the past: "If someone is in the United States legally on a temporary visa, their driver's license will expire when the visa expires. And then the story of September 11 terrorist Mohamed Atta, who had a six-month visa and a six-year driver's license, will not be repeated."
Opponents of the bill say it is anti-immigrant and part of the overall policy of Republicans and the Bush administration. Democratic Congressman John Conyers spoke out against the bill: "If all this is true that we have heard from the president and others about the importance of freedom, then we must vote against this bill, which will deprive immigrants of freedom in our country." The American Civil Liberties Union and other similar organizations also oppose the bill, saying it will not improve U.S. security but will only restrict freedom.
But the organization that brings together families of the victims of the September 11 attack supports the bill, and Republicans point to public opinion polls that show Americans overwhelmingly support the adoption of necessary security measures. Republicans in the House of Representatives announced President Bush's support for the bill after the White House issued a statement in its favor. The House and Senate must resolve their differences before drafting the final version of the law and present it to President Bush for signature.