It appears some Members of Congress think they can sneak in an anti-Latino law and no one will notice. They must not realize that the Latino community knows the difference between anti-terrorist laws and anti-immigrant laws. They must not realize that we’re paying attention. Our leaders in Washington need to know that the Latino community will hold them accountable for this extremely damaging and irresponsible piece of legislation.

Like all Americans, Latinos are concerned with terrorism and generally support measures to enhance our national security. However, we know the difference between improving security and targeting immigrant communities for harm. The “REAL ID Act” pretends to be a security measure, but it does nothing to make us safer, and it takes us further from the real immigration reforms we need.

Everyone knows that the REAL ID Act will deny driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants -resulting in more unlicensed and uninsured drivers on our roads. But few understand that it goes well beyond that and will affect every single person applying for a driver’s license in the U.S. Everyone will have to prove U.S. citizenship or legal immigration status. But Latinos and others who look or sound “foreign” are likely to receive special scrutiny.

“REAL ID Act” will also create a multitiered system in which U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents will have one type of license, and lawful temporary immigrants will have an easily distinguishable temporary license. Latinos understand that possessing a “distinct” document will result in widespread discrimination and civil rights violations.

This law will also make it more difficult for persons fleeing human rights abuses to get political asylum in the U.S., and it will narrow the due process rights of legal immigrants.

Our community understands that nothing in the “REAL ID Act” would have prevented any of the 9/11 terrorists – all of whom had valid passports from their home countries as well as visas issued by the U.S. government – from getting on planes. We know that no known terrorists have ever received political asylum.
Latinos also understand that our democratic system is not supposed to work this way.

The REAL ID Act was rammed through Congress by House Republicans who attached it to the Iraqi supplemental appropriations bill. It was never debated in or passed by the Senate and never went through regular committee processes in either chamber.

It is particularly offensive that these provisions are part of the bill funding our troops in Iraq and tsunami victims in Asia. There are many Latino soldiers fighting and dying in Iraq, and this bill will ultimately harm their families and communities in the U.S.