Five North Carolina Republican representatives want to document undocumented immigrants as a way to cut down on identity theft.
House Bill 794, filed Tuesday, would give undocumented immigrants limited IDs and would increase penalties for counterfeit documents in an effort to reduce identity theft.
The bill would allow undocumented immigrants to obtain “a limited identification card” if they are “a resident of this state and … not lawfully present in the United States.”
The bill was sponsored by Rep. Harry Warren of Rowan County, Rep. Jeff Collins of Franklin and Nash counties, Rep. Jonathan C. Jordan of Ashe and Watauga counties, Rep. Jay Adams of Catawba County and Rep. Mike Clampitt of Haywood, Jackson and Swain counties.
Those seeking a limited ID card would have to complete a driver’s license application and agree to a criminal history check, including being fingerprinted. Minors younger than 16 would not have to agree to a criminal history check to get an ID. The background check must show no criminal history.
The IDs would resemble driver’s licenses in several ways, but would include “a clearly legible statement that the identification card is not valid as a means of demonstrating eligibility for voter registration or for public benefits, does not legitimize the holder’s presence in the United States or the State of North Carolina, and is not valid for any purpose other than demonstrating identity.”
The Secretary of Transportation would set a fee for the ID card, according to the bill. Annual renewals would cost $25.
The state would keep a record of all people who receive a limited ID card. But the possession of a limited ID card alone “shall not be used as a basis for a criminal investigation, arrest, or detention in circumstances in which a person who possesses some other form of identification would not be criminally investigated, arrested, or detained.”
(Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article144215464.html#storylink=cpy)
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