As the Senate Judiciary plowed through dozens of amendments to its giant immigration overhaul, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., won a vote to limit the Border Patrol’s use of drones to within three miles of the Mexican border. Feinstein said drone technology is growing “beyond our ability to manage how they are used,” citing privacy concerns, especially in California, where she said “you have millions of people” living close to the border in San Diego and El Centro.
Feinstein also aligned with the committee’s conservative Republicans to push for biometric identifiers such as fingerprints or iris scans on visa documents. These would track entries and exits primarily from airports to help prevent visa overstays. People who enter the country legally through airports and then overstay their visas constitute a large portion of the illegal immigrant population.
Feinstein said she’s seen documents bought and sold “for $200 on Alvarado Street in Los Angeles,” and wants to crack down on fraud. Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., proposed putting a biometric system in place before any illegal resident is legalized. Sessions said airlines are standing in the way.
Members of the bipartisan Gang of Eight who wrote the bill fended off Sessions, saying biometric technology is expensive and error prone, and that photo ID’s are more feasible. Biometric identification is already required by law but has not been implemented because of cost and technical difficulties. Feinstein relented after agreeing with Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-NY, to work on a compromise when the bill reaches the Senate floor. The Sessions amendment failed 12-6.
Sen. Marco Rubio, the Florida Republican and Gang of Eight member who is fending off conservative opposition and is central to the bill’s passage, expressed disappointment and said he would push for biometric screening as the bill advances.