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Editorial: Working in an alien nation
Florida legislation aims to crack down on companies and on bogus documents

January 30, 2006

Immigration enthusiasts never tire of saying that illegal aliens come here to work. That may be so — but what good is it when employees and employers are breaking the law?

Whether it's job security or national security, Americans depend on secure borders and the rule of law. This expectation was the impetus for the newly passed federal Real ID act, which tightens national identification procedures, including the issuance of state driver's licenses.

Now, in Florida, Republican lawmakers are pushing legislation designed to bolster that security. The bill, being drafted by state Sen. Mike Haridopolos, R-Melbourne, would:

• Order the Department of Motor Vehicles to check for duplicate Social Security numbers, the biggest source of identification theft.

• Create a state hotline that employers can call to verify a job applicant's resident status.

• Increase penalties on employers who hire illegal aliens.

• Prohibit the use of Mexican matricula consular cards as a valid form of identification.

Clearing up fraudulent Social Security numbers is a significant first step. Recently, it was reported that New York found 252,000 fake numbers in its DMV system. But unlike the Empire State, Florida officials will be directed to track down miscreants here and build a database that employers can access to check applicants' legal status.

By imposing heavier penalties (still to be specified) on companies that hire illegals, Haridopolos' bill deserves bipartisan support. With good reason, Democrats accuse Republicans of too often giving employers a pass; hitting offenders in the wallet is only fair — and a proven deterrent to those who would cut corners in the interest of cheap labor.

Speaking of bogus documents, those matricula consulars aren't worth the paper they're printed on. According to the Center for Immigration Studies, Mexico does not authenticate them and U.S. immigration agents say there are no safeguards to prevent multiple issuance of matriculas to the same individual.

Unfortunately, Florida is not a peninsula unto itself. Other states continue to accept matriculas as valid identification for driver's licenses, which can then be used to obtain jobs and government services in this state. Likewise, Florida law-enforcement agencies are neither tasked nor equipped to track down and process every illegal alien who enters here.

Ultimately, the federal government will have to step up, and the Real ID program is a promising start. As its author, Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., put it:

"American citizens have a right to know who is in their country, that people are who they say they are, and that the name on the driver's license is the real holder's name, not some alias."

Indeed. But the feds have a lot of work to do. In recent months, investigators have discovered dozens of illegal aliens laboring on military bases in Louisiana, New Mexico and President Bush's home state of Texas. It's time to get to work.