mr. chairman , i rise today in strong opposition to h.r. 418 .  the proponents of this dangerous and divisive bill have mischaracterized and misrepresented it as a measure that focuses on national security .  this could not be further from the truth .  i would urge my colleagues today to listen beyond the harsh rhetoric and to closely examine this legislation .  because further study will reveal that h.r. 418 is really nothing more than a bill designed to bash immigrants and punish refugees .  h.r. 418 ignores our nation 's proud history of protecting those fleeing brutal human rights abuses , torture and persecution .  it would force our country to turn its back on women , children , and victims of religious persecution .  the bill would create insurmountable hurdles for legitimate asylum-seekers and slam the door shut on refugees who have fled brutal human rights abuses .  that is not america .  h.r. 418 also ignores the reality that there are an estimated 10 million or more undocumented immigrants living in our country .  this bill would do nothing to prevent undocumented migration to the united states .  if anything , this bill will only further compound the flaws in our nation 's immigrations laws .  and it would make the job of protecting our homeland even more challenging .  h.r. 418 will make the vital job of law enforcement to arrest criminals and root out potential terrorists almost impossible .  in short , immigration enforcement will continue to expend their valuable , but limited , resources and energy in pursuing hardworking busboys and nannies , instead of bad actors who mean us real harm .  immigration officers represent our frontline forces in protecting our homeland .  let 's not make their jobs even more demanding .  let 's give them the policies , the resources and the tools they need to succeed .  mr. chairman , imagine your neighbors , the families who live across the street , the men and women who join us at church -- all of the hard working people who share the roads with us .  now imagine these hundreds of thousands , perhaps millions of people , driving without a license , without car insurance or registration .  such a policy will wreak havoc on our streets and highways .  it also will do nothing to address our broken immigration system .  it will just force hard working people further into the shadows and create an increased demand for the black market of fake identity documents .  i agree that congress must examine how to improve enforcement of immigration law , but we first must create laws that are enforceable and in step with reality .  let me close by saying this .  i am not alone in my strong opposition to this misguided and mean-spirited legislation .  also opposing the bill are the national governor 's association , the national council of state legislatures , many other national , state and local organizations , security and immigration policy experts , immigration attorneys , more than 100 religious organizations , hispanic and asian organizations , the u.n .  commissioner for refugees , the afl-cio , the service employees international union and other labor unions .  the list goes on and on , and i consider myself very good company .  mr. chairman , i strongly urge my colleagues to oppose this bill .  the only thing `` real '' about the real id act is that it is real bad for america .  