mr. chairman , i thank the chairman for yielding me time . 
i thank the chairman for leading on this most important issue . 
on september 11 , our nation suffered the most horrible attack ever on american soil at the hands of those with a deep-seated , enduring hatred for freedom . 
since that day , we have made great strides in improving our nation 's security , but several gaps leave our nation vulnerable to attacks , just like those we suffered that day . 
the real id bill would close loopholes and make americans more secure . 
the situation in california where a state environmental commission is blocking a national security barrier from being finished must be remedied . 
a 3-mile gap remains in a fence which would prevent people from crossing over our southern border in an area that is home to a military base . 
half a million people are caught there each year trying to get across , and that does not include those who get on through . 
they are their own environmental problem as well . 
the real id bill would give the secretary of homeland security the authority he needs to ensure that our national security is not compromised for dubious environmental concerns . 
our asylum system presently welcomes fraud by those who seek to do our nation harm . 
the real id bill would allow our immigration judges to use common sense to protect americans while still providing a safe harbor for those who truly need refuge in our country . 
it is outrageous that we can keep people out of this country based upon terrorist links , but the minute they are in this country , we can not deport them . 
the real id bill would fix this problem , which poses a great danger to our citizens . 
perhaps most importantly , our nation 's security will remain at risk so long as we give validity to those who are in our nation illegally in the form of state driver 's licenses and other id 's . 
driver 's licenses in our country are de facto id cards . 
they allow people to blend in , move freely , rent apartments , go to work , board airplanes . 
if states do not require some valid form of u.s. government-issued id to get a driver 's license , any person could walk in off the street and claim to be a legal alien in search of a license , and be granted one . 
to say that this is not an issue of national security is beyond the limits of reasonability . 
the real id bill would ensure those to whom we issue government ids and driver 's licenses are in the u.s. legally and make it more likely that those to whom we issue id 's do not intend to harm americans . 
we must close these loopholes . 
i thank the chairman and i ask the congress to act . 
