Schumer Supports National Biometric ID Cards for Form I-9 and Employment Eligibility Verification

Senator Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), who chairs the Senate's main immigration subcommittee, supports a national system to verify work documents through biometric identification cards.

Schumer said legislation should secure control of the nation's borders within a year and require that an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants register with the government and "submit to a rigorous process to convert to legal status" or face immediate deportation. Rejecting the euphemism "undocumented workers," he said: "Illegal immigration is wrong -- plain and simple."

"I'm sure the civil libertarians will object to some kind of biometric card -- although . . . there'll be all kinds of protections -- but we're going to have to do it. It's the only way," Schumer said. "The American people will never accept immigration reform unless they truly believe their government is committed to ending future illegal immigration."