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Security Plan Assailed by Cheap Labor Advocates

Officials of the American cargo industry are concerned that a relatively new federal ID system, which is aimed first and foremost at boosting national security, could cost many port workers working for low wages their jobs. According to industry officials who have discussed it with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and United States Coast Guard, illegal immigrants and people convicted of certain crimes might be barred from the positions they now hold. Essentially, this would mean that thousands of people might be out of jobs, including dockworkers and truck drivers.

Steve Stallone, spokesman for the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, said a conviction shouldn?t automatically preclude someone from working. For U.S. citizens, that might be a reasonable argument. However, critics note that in the ongoing quest to prevent illegal immigration (and debate over how to prevent illegals from entering the country and what to do with those already in the U.S.), having illegal immigrants working at ports which could potentially serve as points of entry for other illegal immigrants is a dangerous policy, and makes upholding laws that much more difficult.

The "Transportation Worker Identification Credential" program is a post-Sept. 11 security measure that seeks to better control access to harbors, rail yards, airports and other cargo transit areas terrorists might target. TSA and Coast Guard officials have refused to discuss details of the plan before it is unveiled, which could be as early as this week. The plans also follow in the wake of the failed takeover bid by United Arab Emirates-owned Dubai Ports World, which sparked a furor over Middle Eastern governments having access to port operations in the U.S. while the country fights a war on terrorism.