mr. chairman , i rise in strong opposition to h.r. 418 , the real id act . 
not only has the house failed to consider the sweeping changes in this bill through the thoughtful and deliberative committee process , we have failed our duty to the american people to ensure that this bill will not have unintended consequences . 
you may ask , `` dingell , what unintended consequences ? 
does n't this bill just keep the bad guys from harming us again ? 
`` well , my friends , read the fine print . 
look at section 102 of the bill . 
that section allows the secretary of homeland security to waive any and all federal , state , or local law that the secretary determines should be waived to ensure the construction of physical barriers and roads to deter illegal border crossings . 
it would also allow waiver of laws to knock down existing structures or other obstacles . 
it would give power to the secretary of homeland security to waive any public health law such as the safe drinking water act , the clean water act , as well as transportation safety , hazardous materials transportation and road construction standards . 
in addition , it would grant dhs unchecked authority to abrogate criminal law , child labor laws , laws that protect workers , civil rights laws , ethics laws for clean contracting and procurement policy . 
it goes even further . 
no procedures for using this authority are established , and judicial review by federal or state courts is expressly prohibited . 
it even appears there would be no judicial review concerning the taking of private property . 
the breadth of this provision is unprecedented and must not stand . 
now let 's look at section 101 . 
this section requires that in certain asylum claims , applicants must prove that their race , religion , nationality , membership in a particular social group , or political opinion `` was or will be a central reason '' for their persecution . 
in effect , this will bar many legitimate refugees who have fled brutal human rights abuses , including torture , rape , and other horrific violence , from receiving asylum . 
this section creates new burdens on those seeking asylum , including a corroborating evidence test , empowering an immigration officer or immigration judge to deny asylum to a refugee because he believes , in his discretion , that the refugee should have somehow been able to obtain a particular document when fleeing her country . 
mr. chairman , i understand that we must protect our borders , but we must still allow those decent freedom loving people fleeing their countries to be able to continue to seek asylum . 
i would also note that sec . 
103 specifically identifies officers , officials , representatives or spokesmen of the palestinian liberation organization as terrorists , thus not able to enter the united states . 
mr. speaker , this would mean that palestinian authority president mahmoud abbas would be barred from the united states . 
given the great progress we have seen in the middle east in the past week and that the bush administration is in the process of setting up meetings with dr . 
abbas in washington , it hardly seems wise to pass a bill barring the newly elected president of the palestinian authority from the country . 
finally , i note that i have concerns about this bill and its unintended consequences on the second amendment rights of gun owning americans like myself . 
section 203 calls for the linking of databases and creates a floor for the requirements of what can be included in the database . 
however , this legislation fails to create a ceiling . 
what could stop a state from requiring databases to contain information about gun licenses issued and gun ownership records ? 
mr. chairman , i urge my colleagues to oppose this broad overreaching legislation . 
let 's have hearings . 
let 's have real deliberation and debate . 
i will vote against this legislation . 
