DOBBS: My guest tonight says immigration reform and border security are top priorities. He's introduced two new pieces of legislation, one aimed at stopping the flow of illegal aliens into this country and stopping employers from hiring them. The other proposed legislation deals with criminal aliens clogging our court system.
Joining me now is Congressman David Dreier of California. Congressman Dreier is the chairman of the House Rules Committee, a member of the House Select Committee on Homeland Security. Congressman, good to have you with us.
REP. DAVID DREIER (R), CALIFORNIA: Well, Lou, it's always good to be with you. Happy new year. And let me thank you for your coverage that you all have been providing into the tragic circumstance with Mother Nature out here and to say that you and I still have very important and major disagreements, even though I'm going to try to get you to agree with me on this one issue, and that is the fact that we have obviously seen a tremendous flow of people across the border.
And we know why it is that they come to the United States. They come here seeking economic opportunity. And so I join with my Democratic colleague, Congressman Sylvester Reyes of Texas, who was the chairman of the Hispanic Caucus and a longtime Border Patrol agent, and the legislation calls for the establishment of a counterfeitproof Social Security card which will be necessary for people when they are applying for a new job.
And I call it the Bonner plan, because T.J. Bonner, who has been a guest, he told me, on your program, many times, is the president of the National Border Patrol Council. He believes that we can, Lou, reduce by 98 percent the number of illegal border crossings so that the Border Patrol will be able to focus on what you and I and the other most -- all Americans want them to focus on, and that is our national security.
DOBBS: So in effect, what will happen, Congressman, is that a new identification card, the Social Security card, that will not be capable of being counterfeited, will not only be identification, but it will be required for employers who hire illegal aliens or legal immigrants to check those social security cards with a national data bank.
DREIER: The short answer to your question is no. You've used the term identification twice. I got -- we made one up out of an old Vaughn's card here, and basically the card will consist of the Social Security card. Which, this is what it's been for 1937 years, for 68 years, nothing but a piece of paper. And now what we have is it will be a photo embedded card, with social security on it, an algorithm strip on the back, which simply states whether you're an American citizen exactly, if you're here under a work permit, information that the government already has. But Lou, it has something else at the bottom. It says this is not a national identification card. I was just with my friend...
DOBBS: Well Congressman, in the interest of time, let's be as succinct as we can. You may call it not an identification card, a national identification card, for political purposes, but in point of fact, it is designed not to be counterfeited, correct?
DREIER: Correct.
DOBBS: It would identify the holder?
DREIER: It identifies the holder when they're applying for a new job, go ahead.
DOBBS: Well, I mean, it identifies them period.
DREIER: Lou...
DOBBS: Wait, Congressman, if I may. There's no reason for contravention or argument here. I'm trying to just get the facts out for all of us. The fact is this would give employers a clear channel to a data bank that would say whether that person was legal or illegal and there would be a direct connection, correct?
DREIER: That is correct. But let me tell you why this is not a national identification card. It's not going to be utilized for getting on an airplane. You are gainfully employed. I know Dick parsons told me you're going to be there for a long period of time, you won't need one, because you're not going to be applying for a new job for a long period of time. The fact is, any senior citizen will not have to have one of these cards. Only individuals applying for a new job will need to have this Social Security card. So, that's why it's not a national I.D. card.
DOBBS: The way in which it's used is helpful for identification. Let's go to the second part of this. You're coming straight out the White House here. This isn't in their plan. Have you talked to them? Are they going to support you with this?
DREIER: Yes, I have. I have. I've -- we had a meeting with the president last -- bicameral meeting with him last week focusing on Social Security. I've talked to Karl Rove at length about this issue. And frankly, I listened to a clip from some of my colleagues earlier. We're still in the process of putting together the president's reform proposal, he is, and the Congress will be. I will tell you that a guest worker program must go hand in hand with having this counterfeit proof Social Security card because of the economic demand that exists here. So I think we can come together, Lou. You know, I like to find areas of agreement, that's one of the reasons why I introduced this, so I can finally find an area of agreement with you. And so...
DOBBS: It's a good start, Congressman.
DREIER: Well, we've got a ways to go, but my colleague John Kyl, in the Senate is going will be introducing this next week when the Senate convenes. And I think that we can get support all the way across the board for it.
DOBBS: Well we wish you well with this. It's an important beginning. And hopefully it will find considerable support.
DREIER: And we need to pass the Central American Free Trade of the Americas...
DOBBS: CAFTA. Oh, congressman, congressman. It's like baseball. Your average can be good, but nonetheless, it is an average -- you're making it slide just a bit with me now.
DREIER: I know. It's key to this whole effort of keeping people fleeing from across the border, Lou.
DOBBS: There are a lot of keys here, you know, Congressman. We're going to talk about them in the weeks ahead when you come back and we'll discuss them further. Thank you.
He also told me that if the same SS# is recorded as sending money into the IRS from different parts of the the country the IRS doesn't flag it or do anything about it. How is this proprosed legislation going to change that, if at all? This legislation is a smokescreen. A pretend job. That's all.
The only problem I can envision of not requiring ALL SSI cardholders to participate is this; suppose I'm to be gainfully employed for the next fifteen years, someone else has my SSI# and fraudulently acquires one of the newer cards, then I need to apply for a new one because I've had a career change. Then what? Either all SSI participants need to be carded for security reasons or the program will have problems....but that's hypothetical.
No, this isn't a national ID - it's a SSI card to be developed with anti-theft measures one may currently similarly obtain with some credit cards.
I'm for the SSI card change and will get mine as soon as it's enacted because, whether I like it or not, the SS# is used in almost every major transaction and this extra security measure just makes common sense. With the financial and personal data off-shoring craze happening today, and those industries dealing with companies who are not subject to US courts' jurisdiction, the new SS card makes even better sense.
Dreir cannot be trusted. Just look at him. He knows he's smart (high IQ) and been getting away with major stuff for years. On his homosexuality and his WSJ/open borders treason. He could give a f that his middle and lower income Californians are deeply impacted by this invasion of illegal aliens. Dreir is a stone cold libertarian elitist of the worts kind.
Uhhuh, yep. And a lot more spineless kumbya one big happy world folks refusing/afraid to use the keys. here's key hole to the KEYS and here are part of the KEYS.
Thanks for posting that. I did see it on the tube. Dobbs had Drier stammering a couple time.