Big Brother getting bigger: NEW ID database for all workers

[snappyturtle]

Work bill would create new ID base: dated May 21, 2007

http://news.com.com/Work+bill+would+create+new+ID+database/2100-1028-6185466.html

"The U.S. Congress is poised to create a set of massive new government databases that all employers must use to investigate the immigration status of current and future employees or face stiff penalties.

The so-called Employment Eligibility Verification System would be established as part of a bill that senators began debating on Monday, a procedure that is likely to continue through June and would represent the most extensive rewrite of immigration and visa laws in a generation. Because anyone who fails a database check would be out of a job, the proposed database already has drawn comparisons with the "no-fly list" and is being criticized by civil libertarians and business groups.

All employers--at least 7 million, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce--would be required to verify identity documents provided by both existing employees and potential hires, the legislation says. The data, including Social Security numbers, would be provided to Homeland Security, on penalty of perjury, and the government databases would provide a work authorization confirmation within three business days.

There is no privacy requirement that the federal government delete the information after work authorization is given or denied. Employers would be required to keep all the documentation in paper or electronic form for seven years "and make it available for inspection by officers of the Department of Homeland Security" and the Department of Labor. It would also open up the IRS' databases of confidential taxpayer information to Homeland Security and its contractors."

edit: lots more at link. The above is not the entire article


This subject was posted last evening but I think it is very important....just like the almost secret presidential directive * recently signed this too, is nefarious! I listen to a lot of MSM and public tv but I haven't heard anything about this until last night. Maybe I'm just out of the loop?! If you are an employer get ready....this doesn't just apply to new hires or green card holders it's for EVERY employee!

[sproutster]

1. Ah the true power to destroy peoples lives... with a oopsie :)

btw... Weren't you at that protest?

[snappyturtle]

4. Nope, didn't make that one......! I just find this potentially as another

way to invade our lives and keep the little people busy with paperwork and fear of inspection.

[snappyturtle]

10. See this OP:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x978851

[jody]

2. "And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or

the number of his name".

[snappyturtle]

13. Makes me wonder that if we won't end up with the mark of the

beast in the form of a "chip".....no worry about losing one's card or having it stolen! Scary.

[Lars39]

3. One of the intended consequences of this will be more warm bodies

for the war on terra. Can't get a job anywhere, who are you going to turn to but Uncle Sam.

[snappyturtle]

6. Oh Lordy I didn't even think of that one! If the government or

your employer makes a mistake,as the article points out,you can be out of work.

[SoCalDem]

5. They would save a ton of money by just issuing ALL US citizens a damned

PASSPORT.. Rich people already have theirs, no doubt...so the cost would certainly be less than this "new plan".. They should just open a bunch of passport processing centers, and hire some people to get them issued.

This would be a blessing too, since when it came time to vote, no one could doubt a voter's right to vote with proof positive that they were not "illegal"..

BUT

they will never do this..

why??

It would be the opening salvo in the national healt care project. The biggest hurdle in that fight is how to establish true eligibility..

Passports are the answer..

Wnat a job? Have to show your passport..Want to enter school? passport.. want to vote? passport want to travel outside the US and get back in? passport

ONE DOCUMENT does it all

[snappyturtle]

7. I think that passports would work too for existing employees.

This is just more bureaucracy.

[SoCalDem]

8. It may be extra bureaucracy, but hey.. they are gonna issue "IDs" anyway

so why not just issue the most indentifiable one we could have and one that works on so many levels..

and yes it would work for all existing employees, and it would be easy to check out too.. They all have a singular number and are easily renewed and they last a LONG time..

[snappyturtle]

9. I just have trouble with this EEVS program because

the government already has us in so many data bases and because they haven't kept immigration under control now we have to submit to more ID. I didn't get a clear answer if people who are in the EEVS are also required to get a REAL ID act 'card' too. This is placing a lot on employers too. Could it actually be a way of sifting out the illegal immigrants?

[Toots]

11. Bill will do far more than that

WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today expressed grave concerns about the due process and privacy implications of the Senate immigration bill. The proposed legislation would create a vast federal database to verify the work eligibility of all job applicants in America - including U.S. citizens; expand indefinite detention; and deny effective judicial review of Department of Homeland Security errors denying immigration status.

"The bill denies essential due process, seeks to overturn Supreme Court limits on detention and fails to guarantee meaningful judicial review," said Caroline Fredrickson, director of the ACLU’s Washington Legislative Office. "Substantial changes must be made to ensure that the legislation adheres to the values of our country and our Constitution. Without effective judicial oversight, any new program enacted by Congress can be gutted by an overburdened, incompetent or hostile bureaucracy."

The proposed legislation would require every job applicant in America to have their eligibility to work verified by the DHS, using the error-plagued Employment Eligibility Verification System (EEVS). EEVS creates a massive government database containing extraordinary amounts of personal information on everyone in America, tied to each individual’s Social Security number. If DHS makes a mistake in determining work eligibility, there will be virtually no way to challenge the error or recover lost wages due to the bill’s prohibitions on judicial review.

As a part of EEVS, every person in America would be forced to carry a hardened Social Security card perhaps containing biometric information about the cardholder - essentially a national ID - and present a Real ID-compliant driver’s license to get any new job. The proposed legislation also expands current practice of expedited removal. The ACLU noted that these policies do nothing to solve the problems of illegal immigration and violate the fundamental American value of due process.

"EEVS would be a financial and bureaucratic nightmare for both businesses and workers," said Timothy Sparapani, ACLU Legislative Counsel. "Under this already flawed program no one would be able to work in the U.S. without DHS approval - creating a ‘No Work List’ similar to the government’s ‘No Fly List.’ We need immigration reform, but not at this cost."

[snappyturtle]

12. Oh yes...I agree. The article I linked to the OP points out

many pitfalls.