Rep. Robert Menendez (D-NJ)

Oct. 8 –– The House of Representatives passed HR 10, the 9/11 Commission Recommendations bill, by a vote of 282-134. Some legislators tacked on anti-immigrant measures to the legislation which is meant to implement the 9-11 Commission recommendations.

According to civil rights activists and the National Asian Pacific Leadership Council (NAPALC), HR 10, if enacted into law, will prohibit acceptance of foreign identification documents, including consular IDs (matrículas consulares), by the federal government.

It will prevent states from deciding who should get a driver’s license, accepting foreign identity documents like the matrícula consular as proof of identity, and issuing driver’s licenses to immigrants regardless of legal status.

It will also impose new Social Security Number (SSN) requirements that will likely result in eligible applicants being denied SSNs, NAPALC contended.

By a close vote on Oct. 7, the House rejected a Democratic amendment offered by Rep. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) that would have substituted the entire bill with the Senate 9/11 bill (as it was originally introduced).

The Senate version, ‘The National Intelligence Reform Act’ (Collins/Lieberman, S. 2845) is considered closer to the 9-11 Commission’s recommendations than the House bill and is a bipartisan effort.

In its original form, it proposed intelligence reform measures that civil liberties groups such as the ACLU considered an improvement over the 9/11 recommendations but still problematic for civil liberties.

Last week, the bill was debated on the Senate floor and a number of amendments were introduced that are a priority concern for the Asian Pacific American community.

NAPALC said that it was thankful in part to calls, e-mails and faxes from Asian Pacific Americans and others that S. 2845 passed the Senate without the provisions that most threatened immigrant communities and civil liberties.

Meanwhile, National Immgraion Coalition has released a letter signed by 177 organizations from 35 states criticizing the anti-immigrant provisions added on to the 9/11 bill.