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While many public policy leaders believe that the implementation of actual ID requirements across the country will strengthen national security, more libertarian critics say that Bush-era protocols can cost individual freedoms and greater governments.
When Congress discussed Real ID in 2005, R-Texas libertarian Rep. Ron Paul strongly opposed the move, forming a national ID card that had no restrictions on what kind of information it could store, poses a major threat to American civil liberty.
After the law was signed, implementation of the substantive ID was repeatedly postponed during the administration of both parties, including the first Trump administration, during the community pandemic. However, this year, the Transportation Security Agency (TSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) set new deadlines for obtaining the actual ID for May 7th. Having a real ID-compliant ID is necessary to board flights with domestic commercial airlines and access federal facilities such as courts and military bases.
So, should citizens be worried about getting their actual ID? Fox News Digital spoke to two policy experts with one support and one key important expert.
What is an actual ID? A deadline approach for new identification cards needed to fly domestically
When Congress was voting for a real ID in 2005, R-Texas’ well-known libertarian Rep. Ron Paul strongly opposed the move, forming a “national ID card” that had no restrictions on what kind of information it could store, poses a major threat to the freedoms of American citizens. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images | Fox News Digital)
What are the advantages?
Simon Hankinson, a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation’s Border Patrol and Immigration Center, told Fox News Digital that requesting additional documents to obtain an actual ID would have a major impact on identifying and cracking down on US terrorism and other illegal activities, including illegal immigration.
By requiring that actual IDs fly, Hankinson explained that IDs provided to illegal immigrants provided by liberal states will no longer allow those illegals to easily move unchecked countries.
He pointed out the attack on September 11, 2001. In the attack, some of the al-Qaeda terrorists involved had obtained valid state licenses.
And while Hankinson admitted that concerns about data privacy are justified, he noted that most Americans already have much of the information stored in databases like the Social Security Agency.
“We’re simply not ready”: Actual ID rollouts can cause national headaches, state lawmakers warn
Some women struggle to get their real ID due to a change in their marriage name. (istock; Fox News Digital)
Hankinson said the government must be bound to the highest standards to support citizen privacy. Still, he compared the reward scenarios of risks raised to the nuclear power and the state by real-life IDs.
“If that’s done right, we can reduce the risk and, like France, we can have 80% of the electricity from a nuclear power plant,” he said. “If you cut corners, take on the wrong person and take risks, you’ll become Chernobyl.”
What are your concerns?
However, Jim Harper, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute for Digital Privacy and Constitutional Law, told Fox News Digital that Real IDs are not technically national identification cards, but are issued by individual states, making them effectively a national identification system for civilians to enter national databases.
“Real ID is a national ID system, and historically, the national ID system has been used for terrible things,” he said. “We want to avoid positioning ourselves to put so much authority in the government before, so for 20 years I’ve been against a real ID that’s as simple as that.”
Blue states have gathered to obtain driver’s licenses ahead of Trump’s actual ID crackdown
Airport TV displays advertise their actual IDs. (Fox News)
What is the problem with entering the national system? Harper explained that his concern is that establishing such a system would treat American citizens as suspects before they commit crimes.
He acknowledged that the risk of actual IDs was passed in the wake of 9/11, significantly expanding the scope and strength of US law enforcement and intelligence reporting activities, but similarly expanding the government’s ability to manage and monitor citizens is “not urgent” like the Patriot Act.
“I reject the idea that law-abiding American citizens can be put into the national identity system because they may be terrorists. It’s not the way we do law enforcement in this country, but treating people as GO suspects,” he said. “I don’t think that naturally-born citizens should be put into the national ID system for immigration management. That’s the issue of illegal immigrants visiting citizens. That’s not supposed to work.”
In his view, the “burden” of reasons for having a national ID is “everything lies on the citizen, the individual who is not accused of crime or misconduct. That’s not the way to do it.”
What did the Bush administration and 9/11 committee say about the actual ID Act?
From May 7th, passengers will need to have an actual ID or other compliant identification for their travels. (istock)
What should I do?
Harper predicted that the federal government would ultimately turn around implementing actual ID requirements and continue to “drift away the cans” as they have been doing for 20 years.
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Moreover, according to both Hankinson and Harper, citizens of most states still have other options available to them if they want to opt out of obtaining their actual ID.
Ultimately, the decision to obtain an actual ID or accept the risk of not doing so depends on the individual citizen.
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