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Editor's Note: This is part two in a three-part series about border security measures and how they affect the region.
In 2005, the U.S. Congress approved the Real ID Act, which provided several guidelines for states to comply with recommendations by the Department of Homeland Security, particularly in regards to state-issued forms of identification.
In recent months, Real ID has sparked debates in border communities and the state over how Texas IDs should comply with the law.
The Texas Senate held a hearing in the main branch of the El Paso Public Library July 9 to discuss matters of homeland security.
One of the main concerns was the implementation of a tamper-proof ID that would be compliant with the Real ID Act.
The border community experienced one of the greatest implications of Real ID when federal agencies stopped accepting Texas driver's licenses as valid forms of identification to enter federal buildings and ports of entry into the United States.
At UTEP, thousands of students cross the border on a regular basis, and a large number of those are U.S. citizens or legal residents, said Nick Zweig, former senior international student adviser for the Office of International Programs.
Since the passage of the act, the OIP has received numerous applications for passports, a document exempt from the Real ID Act, said Victoria Aviles, administrative assistant and passport agent in the OIP.
"Back when the deadline was set for this summer, we were processing up to 25 passport applications a day," Aviles said. "I think we will see something similar as we get closer to January of 2009."
Among the requirements stated by the Real ID is that applicants must provide proof of lawful presence in the United States, which would make it legally impossible for undocumented immigrants to obtain a driver's license.
The 5-11 campaign, an Austin-based nonprofit organization that lobbies for the full repeal of any motions to implement Real ID's, is trying to turn Texas into one of the 23 states that have expressed opposition to the Real ID Act.
At the Senate meeting, Sheila Dean, organizer for the 5-11 campaign, said the act would make life more difficult for people on the border as they would be required to obtain a costly ID in order to cross at ports of entry, while exposing themselves to identity theft.
Matt Mayer, a visiting fellow with the Washington-based conservative think tank Heritage Foundation, urged the state legislators to implement more comprehensive and tamper-proof biometric identification compliant with Real ID, which would enable states to verify a person's criminal and immigration records.
This, Mayer said, would allow for homeland security to be defended in a more effective, decentralized manner.
Matt Simpson, policy strategist for the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, said Real ID-compliant documents constitute a nearly unfunded mandate.
"People would have to pay for a more expensive driver's license and be opening themselves to profiling and identity theft."
Simpson said the requirements implied in the Real ID Act require states to gather more private information from individuals, but fail to provide greater security, making a Real ID a bigger threat to privacy than current licenses.
In his written testimony provided at the meeting, Simpson suggested the state create a tamper-proof form of ID that should not comply with Real ID.
Kelly Emerick, executive director of the Secure ID coalition, a group of security solutions manufacturers, said there is no such thing as a tamper-proof ID.
Among the different technologies proposed for Texas identification cards is a radio-frequency (RF) ID, a contact-free technology that can be read from a distance. Other options include biometrics, or the coding of unique biological features into the card, such as a scan of a person's irises or fingerprints.
"Tamper-proof can mean a lot of things," Emerick said. "The Real ID standards are not safe by themselves. We'd like to see the state go further, but we need testing and on-site trials."
Emerick said active electronic technology, such as the RF-ID, could speed crossing times at ports of entry, but would also create a need for more security requirements at a higher cost.
According to ACLU estimates, compliance with the Real ID Act will cost Texas $50 million per year, for which the state has only received $3.2 million grant, Simpson said. The Department of Homeland Security has given Texas an extension and the Real ID Act is expected to fully implement by December 31, 2009.
Isaac Perez may be reached at prospector@utep.edu.
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