Fingerprint Plan to Confirm US Workers Identity

The latest immigration legislation to pass this year would require US workers to verify their employment status through fingerprints or biometrics. The logic is sound, stop illegal immigration by stopping employers from hiring illegal immigrants.

As part of broader legislation he plans to introduce later this year that would provide a pathway to legal status for some 10 to 12 million immigrants, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) is proposing a plan to require that the identity of United States workers be verified through fingerprints or digital photographs.

The fingerprint plan, which the Senate Judiciary Committee immigration subcommittee chair detailed during a Congressional hearing, drew fire from immigration analysts based on technical and privacy concerns, reports the Washington Post.

The senator didn’t say whether the government would maintain a fingerprint or biometric database, or if identifying data could be maintained in a portable card held by workers, the newspaper notes. However, he emphasized that the fingerprint plan would be used only for employment purposes and would include strict privacy controls.