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I felt that the January 23rd article entitled, “Senators: Worker ID program needs fixing,” should be titled, “Senators: Worker ID Program needs nixing!” The article recognizes many of the flaws of the Worker ID program, but ignores the fact that to remedy such a system would include the issuance of redesigned high-tech ID cards — likely including both Social Security cards and visa cards with biometric features — at a cost of at least $4 billion.
And, to what avail? This system would still be fraught with problems.
For instance, this system would require the creation of massive government data bases of our most private information posing a substantial risk to U.S. residents’ personal privacy and civil liberties, which are already dwindling under our current administration.
This system would also put the responsibility of “proving citizenship” on the shoulders of the worker. It isn’t hard to imagine that under this system many eligible workers could be victims of “defensive hiring,” which are employment practices that weed out people perceived as immigrants, or whose ethnicity suggests that they might be in the category of workers for whom verification is time-consuming and costly.
There is already rampant discrimination against “Arab-looking” individuals in our airports. I’d rather not add a system that will promote even more discrimination against people who “look like immigrants.” I suggest we get rid of the current Worker ID program, and start looking for a solution that actually solves the problem and doesn’t forfeit our civil rights and promote even more societal discrimination.

Naomi W. Marshall
Denver

This letter has not been edited.