Passport Card System
Aaron Himelman
Rutgers Model Congress
Minnesota Senator (R)
Committee on Homeland Security
As a result of the September 11th terrorist attacks, many Americans have called
into question the strength of the nation’s national security. This has resulted in an
increased security presence in a variety of public places, ranging from our nation’s
airports, to museums and monuments. However, one issue yet to be resolved is the
validity of national travel documents such as passports and driver’s licenses. These
documents are not only used as a means of identification when driving and entering the
country, but also as the primary means of identification for access to public buildings,
and for a variety of other services. For instance, in the local school system, some form of
identification, such as a driver’s license, is needed for a parent to pick up their child early
from school. As exposed after the 9/11 attacks, often times it is relatively too easy for an
individual to illegally obtain one of these forms of identification. Therefore, federal
regulation of an identification system is necessary to ensure the safety of our citizens.
The ability of individuals to obtain fraudulent U.S. documents has become a
problem that has not only expanded to identity theft, but also a threat to national security.
If one does not have the proper credentials to receive a certain document such as a
passport or driver’s license, they will use forged documents to obtain them. An illegal
form of a birth certificate may allow someone to obtain a travel document because no
technology exists that would be able to detect this, unlike our monetary system. The
responsibility for detecting a fraudulent document is therefore placed solely on those
working at the places where the travel documents are issued. This problem has been
expanded to illegal immigration, as aliens often obtain passports with illegitimate
documents. For instance, a surge of illegal Chinese immigrants into the United States
during the 1990s came as a result of certain Chinese agencies illegally obtaining
passports. Groups located in the Fujian Province of China were even able to openly
advertise in the local Chinese paper about “passport replacement” services primarily due
to the ease at which they could obtain passports with fraudulent documents (Lii 1). In
addition, this poses a threat to national security, as terrorists are often able to enter into
places with illegal passports, with harmful intentions in mind. The attacks on 9/11
demonstrated how illegal means of identification could be used to obtain access and
cause harm in places where a heightened security presence is needed. One main reason it
is easy to obtain driver’s licenses is due to different requirements imposed by the state
motor vehicle department. In the state of New Jersey, for instance, an applicant for a
driver’s license is required to prove their identification on a six point scale, using
documents ranging from a birth certificate to a marriage certificate (6 Point ID
Verification). However, in a state such as Arkansas, a driver’s license may be obtained by
only showing two forms of identification, such as a birth certificate and a school ID
(Driver License). Consequently, it can be much easier to forge these two documents in
order to receive a license in Arkansas, rather than forging all of the requirements in New
Jersey. Also, in New Jersey, it would be difficult to forge the actual driver’s license
because of the holograph in the background that contains the individual’s birth date.
However, since the same cannot be said for all 50 states, it is still possible to enter an
airport and fly domestically using an illegal driver’s license. Although Congress has
taken steps to attempt to solve this problem with the Real ID Act of 2005, clearly more is
needed. Documents continue to remain insecure due to the lack of technology and
funding they receive. Yet, if the safety of the public is to be fully ensured, funding must
be available to improve the technology for travel documents.
The only way to effectively solve the problem of travel document insecurity is to
develop a biometric identity card system controlled by the federal government. The entire
process, taken over by the federal government, would begin when issuing a social
security number at birth that could not be replicated. This may include holographs,
hidden images, or anything that could be detected on a scanner as authentic. Then at age
eighteen, the applicant would apply for the standard federal identity card, and present his
authentic social security number. He would then be issued a biometric card, which could
be used in determining one’s identity at checkpoints, when applying for passports, and
for various other means of identification. This would create a form of identification that
would be able to link the individual on the card to a biometric credential such as a
fingerprint. In addition, a technologically advanced screening device would allow those
at the checkpoints to scan both the fingerprint and the card to identify a match. This
would eliminate the human element involved in travel document insecurity, and it would
ensure that no fraudulent documents are issued. Moreover, passports would be created
with the same technology, for those entering the country without a social security
number. The technology for this type of device is already available, as outlined in the
9/11 Commission Report. As a result of September 11th, the U.S. created a biometric
program called US VISIT, which takes two biometric samples from incoming travelers
(9/11 Commission Report). Currently, US VISIT is only used on travelers who acquire
visas to travel to the U.S. In addition, Larry Ellison, head of the California-based
software company Oracle Corporation, offered to donate his personal technology create
ID cards with embedded digitized thumbprints and photographs of all legal residents in
the U.S (National ID Cards 1). This technology could be put to better use, in creating a
national identity card. In order to not infringe on the right of privacy, the federal
government would not keep a public database of names, as this would enable hackers in
identity theft. However, false identities previously used by terrorists would be placed on a
watch list, making evasions more difficult, and a questioned individual could be reverted
back to the protected database. Often, in prior instances, suspicious identities had spotted,
yet the government didn’t take proper action to evade the attack. For instance, four of the
9/11 attackers were pulled into secondary inspection, but were then let on the aircraft
(9/11 Commission Report). Since security was unable to prove their false identities, they
were able to continue through with the attacks. Further, more than half of the 19 hijackers
were flagged by the Federal Aviation Administration’s profiling system upon arrival of
their flights, but it merely resulted in their baggage being checked (9/11 Commission
Report). Under the proposed system, a simple scan would have determined their real
identities. The reverse side of this situation is when employees overreact, which can often
be as detrimental as under reacting. The new proposed system would eliminate all of
these hassles, and would save time and money at checkpoints. However, most
importantly, it would create a perfect compromise among opposing sides of the issue.
Similar to the national ID cards that are currently in place in most European
countries, the biometric card would allow the government to protect national security,
while at the same time protect individual privacy. It would satisfy the interests of the
Department of Homeland Security and the Travel Industry Association because it would
create an efficient means of ensuring public safety, and limit terrorist activity. However,
it would also be an efficient compromise for the National Conference of State
Legislatures and the National Governors Association because the identity card would not
replace any state means of identification, as it would merely be an addition on a federal
level. The individual states would be able to retain all of their previous power, such as
issuing driver’s licenses, and the federal government would merely be adding a measure
to ensure public safety. Finally, the biometric card would satisfy the American Civil
Liberties Union because the database of names would only be available to high-level
officers. With the help of the nation’s computer scientists, the database in which the
names are held would be impossible to hack, and would only be available to a select few.
Although simple in concept, this would eliminate all possibilities of identity theft through
computer hacking. Only a select few, highly trusted individuals would obtain access to
this database of the U.S. population.
In conclusion, the federal biometric identity card is the perfect solution to the
problem of fraudulent travel documents. It would allow for successful identification in
secure public places, and would strengthen our national security. Also, illegal
immigration through the use of fraudulent passports would not continue, and states would
be able to retain all of their previous power. A step toward this means of identification is
a necessity that must be implemented as soon as possible. In war times, the federal
government often needs to take a greater stand in ensuring public safety. With our current
war on terrorism, a national identity card is a must. Otherwise, the nation remains just as
vulnerable to another devastating terrorist attack.
Works Consulted
“6 Point Identification.” State of New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. 2007.
Online. Internet. <http://www.state.nj.us/mvc/Licenses/6PointID.htm>
24 March 2008.
“Driver License and Identification Card Overview.” Arkansas Department of Finance
and Administration. 2005. Online. Internet. <http://www.arkansas.gov/dfa/driver
_services/ds_license.html> 23 March 2008.
Lii, Jane H. “From Fujian to New York. Understanding the New Chinese Immigration.”
International Information Programs. 2001. Online. Internet.
<http://usinfo.state.gov/eap/Archive_ Index/From_Fujian_to_New_York_
Understanding_the_New_Chinese_Immigration.html> 24 March. 2008.
“The 9/11 Commission Report.” 9/11 Commission. July 2002. Online. Internet.
<http://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report.pdf> 24 March 2008.