If that is indeed part of the process, then it might work. Otherwise, it's all smoke and mirrors. For the record, I'm very leary about the whole proposition. I'm particulary concerned about any smart card technology that could physically track its bearer, not to mention the enormous potential for abuse of privacy with an all-encompassing centralized file. We're getting dangerously close to losing one of our last rights - unfettered physical movement within our own borders.
As for physically tracking its bearer, it could only do that either (a) when presented for access to government facilities or (b) when presented for travel. At that scale, it's more of a tracking datum than anything else. As for centralizing the databases: well, it's coming, no matter what. I propose capping the overall database storage limit at a fairly low maximum per legal resident. Just have enough for the ID verification data--but not enough to maintain any sort of long-term history of movements.
We're getting dangerously close to losing one of our last rights - unfettered physical movement within our own borders.
The Constitution isn't a suicide pact. The solution on that issue is a watchful citizenry. But if we don't start sorting out who belongs here and who doesn't, then we're going to have a huge problem: even assuming we DO get the border under control (which probably would take prohibitive amounts of manpower to get it airtight--and LESS than airtight means you still have a LOT of leakage), we have 8-10 million illegal aliens of various nationalities already here.