Passport Security Concerns Raise New Questions About DHS Demands

Federal Government Outsourcing of Passport Manufacture Underscores REAL ID Privacy Concerns

For Immediate Release, April 5, 2008

Contact: Shenna Bellows,  774-5444

Portland – The Maine Civil Liberties Union expressed concern over recent revelations calling into question the security of the United States passport. Initially reported by the Washington Times on March 26th, the manufacture of US passports has been outsourced to companies in Thailand and Europe.  Among the revelations – e-passport chip technology has been stolen by China.  The story, which has already sparked national controversy, suggests that the Maine legislature should be wary of new Department of Homeland Security requirements for the Maine driver license program.

“Singling out Maine for imaginary security problems when the federal passport system may have been compromised reeks of hypocrisy,” said MCLU Executive Director Shenna Bellows.  “For the Department of Homeland Security to suggest that passports are more secure than the Maine driver license is absurd in light of these recent developments.”

According to the Washington Times, each modern electronic passport, equipped with sophisticated tracking technology, is created through the cumulative effort of several different international manufacturing firms contracted by the Government Printing Office (GPO).  The Post article also details how the complicated process exposes each passport to risk for theft and counterfeit and how officials at the DHS have been aware of these threats.  

“Trading liberty for less security doesn’t make sense,” said Bellows.  “The federal government is restricting the constitutional rights of Mainers while failing to keep us safe at the federal level.”

Among the more controversial aspects of the assembly process includes the stop each passport makes in Ayutthaya, Thailand where, the Post reports, “Anti-government groups backed by Islamists, including al Qaeda, have carried out attacks [sic] and the Thai military took over in a coup in September 2006.”  

Last year Maine was the first state in the country to reject the REAL ID. Sixteen other states followed suit, including six other states which passed laws prohibiting compliance.  All of those other states were granted waivers from the REAL ID program.  Only Maine was told that their driver licenses would not be considered sufficient to board planes and enter federal buildings; they would need more secure identification such as a U.S. passport.  This is despite the fact that other states like Hawaii and Utah do not require license applicants to prove legal status, and a number of states do not participate in the flawed Secure Alien Verification Electronically or SAVE system.

For complete article, see:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080326/NATION/840186493/1001%20-2

###