Great op-ed in Saturday’s Journal News by NYCLU Lower Hudson Valley Chapter Director Linda Berns on Schumer’s biometric national identity card proposal.

Here’s an excerpt:

Indeed, Sen. Schumer's leadership on this controversial issue is admirable — our nation's dysfunctional immigration laws have created a human rights crisis in New York and across the country. Arizona's draconian and discriminatory new law that imperils the civil liberties of the state's entire Latino population clearly demonstrates the urgent need for Congress to pass comprehensive reform.

Unfortunately, a key element of Schumer's plan, as outlined in a recent op-ed column he co-authored in the Washington Post, poses a serious threat to the privacy and liberty of immigrants and U.S. citizens alike.

Schumer proposes establishing a national worker identification system in which anyone looking to work in the United States must obtain a government ID card bearing their photograph and encrypted with biometric data, such as their fingerprints, an iris scan or a scan of the veins on the backs of their hands. Prospective employers would scan the cards to verify a job applicant's citizenship or immigration status.

Essentially, this proposal would force American citizens to obtain the government's permission to start a job. It would set the framework for a national identification system that will enable the government to track our daily activities and pry into our private lives.

Check out the full op-ed at the Journal News website here.