Calvert Praises Passage of Border Security
Calvert Praises Passage of Border Security
Wednesday, February 2, 2005
WASHINGTON, DCCongressman Ken Calvert applauded House passage of H.R. 418, the Real ID Act. This measure would implement much-needed driver's license reforms, close asylum loopholes, enhance border security, and strengthen deportation laws.
"Since 9-11 most states have required that lawful presence be proven in order to obtain a driver's license and limit temporary licenses to the visa term. Yet, it is still too easy for the wrong people to obtain valid state driver's licenses. The 19 terrorists who carried out the 9-11 attacks had 63 valid driver's licenses between them. Not all states check whether someone is already carrying a valid driver's license from another state or is lawfully present' in the United States. Asylum fraud is real. The 9-11 report specifically noted that two plotters of the first World Trade Center attack concocted bogus political asylum stories when they arrived in the United States," said Calvert.
The Real ID Act will boost U.S. border security by:
· Requiring ID applicants to provide proof they are in the country legally;
· Requiring identity documents to expire at the same time as the expiration of lawful entry status, preventing those who have illegally entered or are unlawfully present in the U.S. from having valid identification documents;
· Strengthening judges' ability to determine whether the asylum seeker is truthful. This provision codifies the factors immigration judges use to assess credibility;
· Requiring the completion of the San Diego 14 mile border fence on the US-Mexican border; and
· Providing that any alien contributing funds to a terrorist organization would be deportable.
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