Letter to Collin Peterson opposing HR 418 (REAL ID Act of 2005)
As your constituent, I urge you to oppose the REAL ID Act of 2005 (H.R.
418), which is an uncalled-for assault on immigrants and would force
states to deny driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants in violation
of their own policies. I believe our borders can be protected and our
security ensured through proper responses to critical needs, not misguided
proposals on a nationalized drivers licenses and new requirements for
people fleeing persecution.
I am concerned by this bill for a whole host of reasons as it represents
another slip away from the freedoms that we speak so highly of, but which
we seem intent on dismantling piece by piece in response to the horrors of
September 11, 2001.
My ancestors came to this country from England, Scotland, Switzerland, and
Belgium, and elsewhere. Some were well off and comfortable when they
came, while others were in fairly desperate straits. Some became
lumberjacks, some dairy farmers and bankers, and others lawyers. All
raised families, sent their kids to school, and contributed to the dream
and success of the United States.
This bill is a slap in the face of all that history. It forgets our past,
and limits our futures.
And for me this is not an academic exercise. My wife of nearly 16 years
is a British citizen and a permanent resident of the U.S. (”green card
holder”). Our son is a dual citizen of the U.K. and the U.S. I would
hope that at these internationally difficult times, we might value the
diversity my wife and son represent. Bills like HR 418, however, serve to
make honest people afraid and do little or nothing that would actually
hinder Bad Guys. In what universe, for example, does it make sense to
require asylum seekers to obtain supporting evidence from the
governments they are fleeing?
Particularly distressing is the open-ended nature of the provisions regarding charitable donations. My wife has been very generous over the years to a variety of causes in this country and back in the U.K.; she has been one of George Bush (Sr)’s “Thousand points of light”. Can that continue if this bill passes? Will past donations to organizations such as Amnesty
International, Habitat for Humanity, and the Center for the Victims of Torture be seen as
“acceptable” in the future, or used as grounds for deporting her? What does this teach our son about the value of compassion, charitable giving, and democracy?
Once again, I urge you to oppose the REAL ID Act of 2005 (H.R. 418). I
believe our borders can be protected and our security ensured through
proper responses to critical needs, not misguided proposals on a
nationalized driver’s licenses and new requirements for people fleeing
persecution.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this matter.
The first and last paragraphs are ACLU boilerplate. The Politech mailing list did much to raise my awareness on this issue.
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