Targeting Terrorist Travel

Targeting Terrorist Travel

Rep. Boozman's Column for the Week of February 14, 2005

Washington, Feb 13 - "For terrorists, travel documents are as important as weapons"
- 9/11 Commission Report, p.384

The nineteen terrorists, who killed thousands of innocent Americans on Sept. 11th, went unnoticed as they planned their atrocious attack. They entered the country undetected, and then settled in quiet neighborhoods, mostly keeping to themselves as they finalized their terrorist plot. They were able to rent apartments & cars, get gym memberships to exercise for their mission and travel around the states to prepare for the attack without attracting attention. Why was this? Mainly, because they were able to obtain driver's licenses that allowed them to move around the country freely and settle in places like Florida and California.

The Sept.11th hijackers had, within their possession, at least 15 valid driver's licenses and numerous state issues identity cards with a large variety of addresses. According to the 9/11 Commission Report, all but one of the hijackers acquired some form of U.S. identification document, some by fraud. Nawaf al Hamzi and Hani Hanjour, the terrorists that took control of the cockpit of Flight 77, both obtained licenses while unlawfully living in America. Al Hazmi's visa authorization ended on 1/16/01, yet he got a Florida driver's license on 6/25/01 and a Virginia ID card on 8/2/01. He even received a replacement Virginia ID on 9/5/01, just weeks after being placed on a terrorist watchlist. Hanjour was in violation of the terms of his visa when he obtained a Virginia ID card on 8/1/01 and a Maryland ID card on 9/5/01.

The ease which aliens who overstayed or violated the terms of their visas could obtain driver's licenses is frightening. In its report, the 9/11Commission recommended that the federal government should set standards for the issuance of driver's licenses and ID cards. Yet, for some startling reason, these recommendations were not included in the sweeping 9/11 Report-inspired reform bill Congress passed last year. I voted against final passage of that bill after the Senate removed the driver's licenses regulations and other recommended provisions that I believe are imperative to true reform.

Last week, we passed a bill that addressed the provisions that were dropped from last year's bill. Known as the "REAL ID Act," the legislation reforms driver license requirements, addresses asylum loopholes, toughens border defenses and strengthens our deportation laws. I cosponsored and voted for this bill because these reforms are crucial to protecting America from another attack inside our borders.

The "REAL ID Act" would require applicants to provide proof they are in the country legally and would require identity documents to expire at the same time as the expiration of lawful entry status, preventing those who have illegally entered or are unlawfully present in the U.S. from having valid identification documents. States would still issue driver's licenses and identification cards and would control their own driver database.

The bill also contains needed reforms to our asylum policies, strengthening judges' abilities to determine whether the asylum seeker is truthful. It strengthens our border security by expeditiously closing the three-mile hole in the San Diego border security fence. And finally, it puts teeth in our deportation policy by allowing the government to deport any alien who participates in a terrorist-related activity in the United States. Under current immigration laws, prohibitions on some terrorist-related activities only apply to aliens who are trying to enter the U.S., but not to those who already reside within our borders.

These are important reforms that will impede a terrorist's ability to coordinate and plan an attack within our borders. If terrorist's travel options are reduced, they may be forced to rely on means of interaction which can be more easily monitored. That is why these provisions should not have been removed from the original bill. It is my hope that my colleagues in the Senate will come to that realization and pass the "REAL ID Act" so we can make it a lot harder for terrorists to blend into America until they are ready to strike.

http://boozman.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=6770