Comment by miki123211
2 days ago
And then there's the problem of undocummented / illegal immigrants that the US has, which nevertheless can often get some state services and have enough ID to pass by. Because it's a political issue, nobody can either legalize or deport them without getting into the political quagmire that is immigration reform.
In functioning ID systems (and not having or wanting one is a valid political position which both the US and the UK took) this is not an issue.
I live in Poland, and we force rotating IDs on a (staggered) 10-year schedule, just so we can slowly upgrade them and introduce new features like these.
I'm not quite sure what immigration has to do with a national ID system in the US. Seems like you just wanted to bring that up to be able to say "man that'd be so much easier if you got rid of all the immigrants" which it would have no impact either way on this particular issue
Also on the rotating schedule thing, driver's licenses expire in the US, usually on a 5-10 year cadence. Replacing the physical cards was not even remotely close to the issue we had with getting REAL ID implemented, the cards themselves aren't special they just have an extra indicator on them. It was about putting in requirements around new documentation and proof of identity, citizenship, and residence and most states not being ready to handle that
For example my home state of Alabama issues licenses through the state department of public safety. That's who does the initial test to see if you're fit to drive, etc. But, once you have it you can then renew your license at a city or county office. These offices take a HUGE burden off the state, but they're not qualified to do the verification needed under federal law for REAL ID. So, to get a compliant ID you'd need to go to one of the very few state offices and they were overwhelmed
This is the type of issue with the system in the US, not the physical card, not the big scary illegal immigrant problem
> I'm not quite sure what immigration has to do with a national ID system in the US.
It was explained right there in the comment. Illegal immigrants are often able to get services because the ID system is such a patchwork that they can manage to slip through the cracks.
And attempting to implement any sort of widespread centralized ID is going to be met with resistance not just from people such as myself but also from those who attempt to shield illegal aliens on the basis of opposing those who want to reduce immigration.
You do not need to be a documented US resident to get a driver's license, it is surprising anyone would expect that. Immigration is federal — the state only wants to know if you know how to drive. The state cares very little about your immigration status for almost all things.
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isn't the immigrant question a real obstacle for political change towards fixing this problem? That we would have to come to some kind of consensus on what to do for illegal immigrants
As long gangs are running the political discourse (anti-id, anti-flock, etc) - good luck in having functioning society. I say that as someone who just spent 3 months in Europe and witnessing farcical bureaucracy.
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>driver's licenses expire in the US, usually on a 5-10 year cadence
Standard Arizona drivers licenses only expire when the licensee turns 65 years of age, and must be renewed every 5 years thereafter.
You don't have to update your picture? You can be wandering around using a 40 year old ID card? That doesn't sound right.
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