Immigration, Adoptees and The Identity Police: The REAL ID ACT of 2005/2025

REAL ISSUES FOR SOME ADOPTEES!

 

REGLOG FROM 2017 (UPDATED)

 

By Trace Hentz, Blog Editor

The Real ID ACT will be enacted in May 2025. 

 

                                                This is SATIRE👇: Obscenity warning

 

THIS IS REAL 👉 Most recently, Kristi was shilling the Real ID, which is “mandatory” for domestic air travel starting in May.

I am planning to NOT comply.   Go to RefuseRealID.org or read this summary.

In 2005, Congress passed an unconstitutional law requiring all American citizens to be issued a “National Identification card” (U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander’s words on the Senate floor) – a REAL ID.   Interesting how 2005 was the year of passing unconstitutional laws in the US, including the infamous PREP Act.  In 2008, the Department of Homeland Security issued a rule requiring all states to conform to the unconstitutional federal law and issue REAL IDs for driver’s licenses and identification cards.

More than half of the states REFUSED this usurpation of states’ rights—25 states passed laws prohibiting compliance and 12 states passed resolutions opposing REAL ID.  Federal deadline after deadline passed with little state compliance.  

READ HER POST: https://open.substack.com/pub/sashalatypova/p/desperate-housewife-of-north-dakota?r=cbskx&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false

👇Back to 2017: 

Have you tried to get a driver's license recently?  I spoke to a cousin in Illinois who was not given a driver's license (renewal) but a piece of paper instead.  She is not adopted. The Illinois Motor Vehicles people told her they are doing a background check first then will mail it to her. (My cousin has lived in Illinois all her life and she is over 60.)
 

WHAT IS HAPPENING?
We have seen this coming. (I was worried in 2005 when I went to get a passport and had to mail them my fake birth certificate.)
In 2011, Leland Morrill wrote this Facebook post on his concerns about the lack of original birth certificates for many Native adoptees like him. Leland did not have a birth certificate but a Certificate of No Birth Record.
READ HERE 

It's back and on Amazon

Leland contributed to the book series Lost Children of the Indian Adoption Projects. In the first book TWO WORLDS he shared he had not found his mother or father and was adopted by Mormons.  In the second book CALLED HOME he found his mother's family.  In STOLEN GENERATIONS, the third book, he found and met all his clans and his father.

Each year for an adoptee, information can drip drip drip and finally come. It's not a fast process. Each piece of paper helps.
You have two parents and two family trees. Never give up hope of finding the paperwork and the people.

ALSO::: 

If you adopted a child, request their adoption file as soon as possible. If you signed these documents you have the right to have a certified copy of the adoption proceedings and court documents. You and your adopted child will need ALL this information, when they reach adulthood. If you adopted a child from another country, did you get them their US citizenship records? If not, they could be deported.  It is that serious.

If you do not have documentation of any kind, call the local FBI right now and explain your situation and remind them of the REAL ID ACT - and how it affects you as an adoptee.

Leland Kirk Morrill testimony at BIA hearing in Portland

Leland has provided links since we can't upload to this blog because of file size.

Here is the video of Leland's presentation at the BIA Hearing in Portland, Oregon:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bzbc4DU2hHxneGF4T0NBSU9EVjQ/view?usp=sharing

NICWA's Sandy White Hawk's Adult Adoptee evening gathering: me, and my biological Aunt Olivia and my biological cousin Merle:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8z6oR56NbpDamkyVk9KZDRkdGM/view?usp=sharing

UPDATE: Filmed by Drew Nicholas Blood Memory Project
http://www.bloodmemorydoc.com an upcoming project through Drew and Sandy Whitehawk

Real ID Act? They didn't think of adoptees with fake birth certificates?

Americans will soon be barred from boarding airplanes unless they surrender to federal 'Real ID' card

by: J. D. Heyes
Tags: REAL ID cards, airline travel, states'' rights

(NaturalNews) Residents of nine states who attempt to use their driver's license to enter some government agency offices will be denied, because their legislatures have not agreed to accept a federal law called REAL ID. In fact, according to The Boston Globe, if those states do not accept the law, residents will also eventually lose their ability to use driver's licenses to board commercial flights.

The paper reported that the federal REAL ID essentially forces compliance by states to ensure citizenship verification and to update their security standards when they issue driver's licenses. Lawmakers in D.C. initially believed that the law would deter terrorists who make it into the country illegally from being able to board flights.

However, officials in the nine states have chosen to forego the program because of a number of factors: It costs millions, there are privacy concerns, and the law violates the 10th Amendment by impinging on states' rights.

The Globe said states that did not accept the REAL ID are not penalized -- directly -- but their citizens suffer. Some of the law's restrictions began in late July.

'Papers please?'

"It was bizarre, and then I really felt embarrassed," Susan Podziba, who was prevented from entering a federal building near Washington, D.C., told the Globe. "It was like wow, I am a US citizen and suddenly my Massachusetts ID isn't good enough?"

Her state is one of the nine that has not accepted the REAL ID; because of that, she was forced to conduct a high-level meeting in a cafeteria outside the security gate.

The Globe further reported:

Governor Deval Patrick's office referred questions to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. Cyndi Roy Gonzalez, an agency spokeswoman, said the state has applied for an extension to give it enough time to meet the law's requirements.

"DHS is asking the states to do something radically different with their licensing systems," she told the paper, without elaborating on the delay. "We want to make sure we do it right and do it well."

In order for Massachusetts to comply with REAL ID, the state has to meet a series of benchmarks when issuing driver's licenses -- checking a person's legal status, securing images and doing background checks on employees who have access to sensitive materials. The law ostensibly aims to boost security and prevent fraud.

Passed in 2005, the Department of Homeland Security put off its implementation for a number of years but began gradually implementing it in April of this year. Phase two began in July.

The Globe said that 20 states had received extensions; 21 are considered to be in compliance. Three others have not made the required changes but will issue special licenses that citizens can use.

That leaves six states: Massachusetts, Maine, Oklahoma, Arizona, Alaska and Louisiana.

Since July, when the second phase took effect, it has been unclear how many Americans it affects or how many federal facilities are strictly enforcing it. The REAL ID law has varied effects; for instance, tourists can still gain access to Smithsonian museums and defendants can get into courtrooms for appearances.

But Americans who live in states that do not participate in REAL ID and who don't have other acceptable identification will not be able to visit the White House by next year; they won't be able to board commercial planes by 2016.

Here's your 'national ID' card

"It's an entirely foreseeable result of Massachusetts' failure to comply with a federal law," Republican Sen. Bruce Tarr, Massachusett's Senate minority leader, told the Globe, adding that he has inquired of the Patrick Administration about compliance but has gotten "very little response" thus far.

"The only thing you could speculate is that somehow compliance with REAL ID would thwart the administration's attempt to give driver's licenses to those who aren't here legally," he said.

But what the law represents is yet another method by which the federal government blackmails states into complying with its edicts. While there is no penalty for non-compliance, per se, obviously the law punishes citizens nonetheless.

It's just another way that the federal leviathan seeks to control rather than serve.

"For any American citizen, they should find this whole program completely laughable and ridiculous," Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap told the Globe.

Critics call REAL ID the "national ID" that privacy advocates have long feared. And for anyone keeping score about which of the political parties have most usurped constitutional rights in recent years, REAL ID was passed during the Bush Administration, when Republicans controlled both chambers of Congress and the White House.

Sources:

http://www.bostonglobe.com

http://www.wcsh6.com

http://www.dmv.org

I'll be posting more on this topic soon - as it concerns adoptees who have fake birth certificates...  Leland Morrill has been working on this nightmare issue for adoptees a long time... Lara/Trace

Two Worlds contributor presenting at Pepperdine

Dear Friends,

Our conference this year will be focused on the important and complex topic of intercountry adoption. All who address this issue have a deep concern for the plight of orphans worldwide. In the Bible, James declares, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress." Praised by some and criticized by others, intercountry adoption remains a matter of deep contention on the global stage. Proponents see it as a way to give a purported 18.5 million adoptable orphans a family and a better life, while critics call it a door to corruption and cultural imperialism.

This conference seeks to find understanding and common ground among these voices, while exploring the complex legal, religious and ethical issues raised by intercountry adoption. Our objectives for this conference include:

• Finding common ground among conflicting points of view regarding intercountry adoption
• Exploring current barriers to intercountry adoption such as legal regulations in both sending and receiving countries
• Viewing faith and social science together to form a more complete picture of intercountry adoption
• Providing knowledge and guidance for families with adopted children and those looking to adopt

We hope you can join us as we bring together lawyers, scholars, pastors, adoptive families, and adoptees to investigate the future of intercountry adoption.

BREAKOUT SESSIONS I Responding to Adoption Triad Members Victimized by Abusive Adoption Practices David Smolin How Religion Informs Adoption Law Part I: Interfaith Perspectives Mark Goldfeder, Faisal Kutty Forgotten, Detained, Removed: Transnational Adopted Persons and Citizenship Rights Caitlin Kee, J. McLane Layton, Lele Morrill

Leland Morrill, a contributor in the adoptee anthology Two Worlds, and a Navajo adoptee who has been reunited with his family and relatives, will be a presenter at this conference and share his presonal experiences with the Real ID Act of 2005 and his troubles securing a drivers license without an original birth certificate and tribal census number for his Navajo Nation. (Adoptees have amended birth certificates which are falsified birth documents listing our adoptive parents as our natural parents.) Leland plans to present a copy of Two Worlds to Ambassador Jacobs on Friday. Keep good thoughts and prayers for Leland on this important day... Trace

The SCARY Culture of Adoption (and the Real ID ACT)



http://www.electricityforum.com/poetry/call-me-never.html

 In March 2007, I gave two workshops on the Culture of Adoption here in western Massachusetts. I used the subtitle, “We can’t fix adoption until we fix poverty..." My earlier post is here. 
Those working in my county were oblivious to effects of adoption on the adoptee. The social services employees who attended my workshops were open to the information but seemed clearly shocked.
Is this what adoption propaganda does to people? Sure it does! It's scary!
Their oblivion makes it all the more difficult to convince lawmakers and policy makers to change adoption laws that continue to prevent adoptees from accessing their adoption file and obtain a copy of their original birth certificate (OBC). 
If these same social workers who handle children and families are not aware of adoption effects, then we remain stuck - addressing the same issues over and over and over!
I don't want to call this ignorance but it does appear to be apathy.
Non-adopted people ask me all the time- "What's the big deal!? Why would adoptees need to know their real identity?"
If adoptees do not have access to our OBC and soon, we face scary and alarming new issues with the REAL ID ACT of 2005. Adoptees could be prevented from voting without a national identification card, which requires everyone produce an original birth certificate. Our old drivers licenses won't suffice anymore. Those of us without this new card could be prevented from voting, getting hired, driving or even flying on an airplane. These new national identification cards will replace driver's licenses.
Believe me, this is an urgent human rights issue for adoptees, one that the writers of the 2005 REAL ID ACT failed to recognize or address.
(Add this to my list of why adoptees need their adoption files and original birth certificate NOW!)
The reason our amended birth certificates will look suspicious are the dates. For example, I was born in 1956 but my adoption was not finalized until 1958. With that much time difference, it makes my amended birth certificate appear suspicious! I had no control that I was adopted then handed fake documents to prove my identity. Can you see how farcical this is?

I am asking you to please write your local lawmakers and ask them to repeal the REAL ID ACT. [This is the actual bill: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-109hr418rfs/pdf/BILLS-109hr418rfs.pdf]
Use this EPIC weblink for information to write your letters or call your state legislators! http://epic.org/privacy/id_cards/ 

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) originally estimated that REAL ID will cost $23.1 billion over 10 years. DHS is planning to extend the deadline for implementation across America to January 15, 2013.
Tell your governor to boycott it!  If you are an adoptee, explain why you cannot access your original birth certificate (if you live in a state with sealed adoption records.) Tell them what you stand to lose!
When an adoption is finalized, a new birth certificate for the child is customarily issued to the adoptive parents. The adoptive parents names are listed on our amended birth certificate.  The original birth certificate is then sealed and kept confidential by the State registrar of vital records. In the past, nearly all States required a court order for adoptees to gain access to their original birth certificates. In approximately 26 States, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, and Puerto Rico, a court order is still required.
Read more about your state's adoption laws here (2009 report):
www.childwelfare.gov/systemwide/laws_policies/statutes/infoaccessap.cfm

Lawmakers ignorance about adoptees is not only dangerous, it's another SCARY chapter of adoption culture!

These states passed legislation Rejecting the REAL ID Act (19 total)


•Alaska, SB 202  (adopted April 11, 2008)

•South Dakota, SCR 7 (passed February 25, 2008)

•Tennessee, SJR 0248

•South Carolina, S 449 ( (enrolled June 5, 2007)

•Nebraska, (adopted May 30, 2007)

•New Hampshire, HB 685  (adopted May 24, 2007)

•Oklahoma, SB 464  (approved May 23, 2007)

•Illinois, HJR 0027  (adopted May 22, 2007)

•Missouri, HCR 20  (adopted May 17, 2007)

•Nevada, AJR 6  (enrolled May 14, 2007)

•Colorado, HJR 1047 ( (signed May 14, 2007)

•Georgia, SB 5 (signed May 11, 2007)

•Hawaii, SCJ 31  (adopted April 25, 2007)

•North Dakota, SCR 4040 (signed April 20, 2007)

•Washington  (signed April 18, 2007)

•Montana, HB 287  (signed April 17, 2007)

•Arkansas, SCR 22 (signed March 28, 2007)

•Idaho, HJM 3  (signed March 12, 2007);
Idaho, HB 606  (signed April 9, 2008)

•Maine, SP 113  (adopted January 25, 2007)

•Utah, HB 449 (unanimously passed by committee on February 19, 2008; lost on House floor)

•Louisana, HB 715 (passed May 14, 2008; signed July 16, 2008)

•Virginia, HJR 42 (SB 492); SB 1431 (enacted March 31, 2009)

•Minnesota, HF 3807 (passed House and Senate May 13, 2008; vetoed May 16, 2008); HF 1351  (passed House April 14, 2008; passed Senate April 21, 2008; vetoed April 25, 2008)

•Arizona, HB 2677 (passed House March 19, 2008; passed Senate May 6, 2008; signed June 17, 2008)

"IDENTIFICATION" -- my interview Saturday 4 pm

my fake birth certificate

By Trace Hentz (formerly DeMeyer)


There are so many issues for adoptees, right?  Now we have to worry about identification and the lack of access to our original birth certificate!  Read Amanda's great blog here: http://www.declassifiedadoptee.com/2011/10/could-adoptees-lose-right-to-vote.html?spref=fb

The photo (left) is a copy of my amended "fake" birth certificate, issued in 1958 (I was born in 1956)... it lists my adoptive parents as my biological parents.  The state of Minnesota refuses to release a copy of my original birth certificate (both my natural parents are deceased) so who would secrecy protect in my case? Why can't I have a copy of the original? Their law.

I will be on Hidden from History this weekend - Saturday, Oct. 15th, 4 pm Eastern to discuss Adoptees and Identification issues.  Here is the link: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/hiddenfromhistory/2011/10/15/hiddenfromhistory-with-kevin-annett
The show will also be archived there, too.

If anyone reading this blog has been denied a driver's license because you are an adoptee and do not have a copy of an original birth certificate  - please email me: tracedemeyer@yahoo.com.  You can also read about Navajo adoptee Leland Morrill on this blog - use the google toolbar to find the post. He had difficulty replacing his lost driver's license...

Read about Identity documents in the United States

Since February 1, 2008, the United States issues the Passport card to its citizens upon request. Although its main purpose is for land and sea travel within North America, under the REAL ID Act, the passport card will also be accepted for federal purposes (such as domestic air travel or entering federal buildings), which may make it an attractive option for people living in states whose driver's licenses and ID cards are not REAL ID-compliant when those requirements go into effect. TSA regulations list the passport card as an acceptable identity document at airport security checkpoints.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has indicated that the U.S. Passport Card may be used in the Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9 (form) process. The passport card is considered a “List A” document that may be presented by newly hired employees during the employment eligibility verification process to show work authorized status. “List A” documents are those used by employees to prove both identity and work authorization when completing the Form I-9.

The passport card can be used as a valid proof of citizenship and proof of identity both inside and outside the United States.

For most people, Driver's licenses issued by the respective state and territorial governments have become the de facto identity card for several purposes, including purchasing alcohol and tobacco, opening bank accounts, and boarding planes. Individuals who do not drive are able to obtain an identification card with the same functionality from the same state agency that issues driver's licenses.

The United States passed a bill entitled the REAL ID Act on May 11, 2005. The bill compels states to begin redesigning their driver's licenses to comply with federal security standards by December 2009. Federal agencies would reject licenses or identity cards that do not comply, which would force Americans accessing everything from airplanes to national parks and some courthouses to have the federally mandated cards. At airports, those not having compliant licenses or cards would simply be redirected to a secondary screening location. The REAL ID Act is highly controversial, and with 25 states have approved either resolutions or binding legislation not to participate in the program, and with President Obama's selection of Janet Napolitano (a prominent critic of the program) to head the Department of Homeland Security, the future of the law remains uncertain, and bills have been introduced into Congress to amend or repeal it. The most recent of these, dubbed PASS ID, would eliminate many of the more burdensome technological requirements but still require states to meet federal standards in order to have their ID cards accepted by federal agencies.

The bill takes place as governments are growing more interested in implanting technology in ID cards to make them smarter and more secure. In 2006, the U.S. State Department studied issuing passports with Radio-frequency identification, or RFID, chips embedded in them. Virginia may become the first state to glue RFID tags into all its driver's licenses. Seventeen states, however, have passed statutes opposing or refusing to implement the Real ID Act.

Canada' identification card for citizens:


In Canada, different forms of identification documentation are used, but there is no de jure national identity card. The Canadian passport is issued by the federal (national) government, and the provinces and territories issue various documents which can be used for identification purposes. The most commonly used forms of identification within Canada are the driver's licence and health care cards issued by provincial and territorial governments. The widespread usage of these two documents for identification purposes has made them de facto identity cards.

In Canada, a driver's licence usually lists the name, home address, and date of birth of the bearer. A photograph of the bearer is usually present, as well as additional information, such as restrictions to the bearer's driving licence. The bearer is required by law to keep the address up to date.

A few provinces, such as Québec and Ontario, issue provincial health care cards which contain identification information, such as a photo of the bearer, their home address, and their date of birth. In British Columbia, the BCID card is a convenient form of identification for individuals who do not possess a driving licence. The BCID card contains a picture of the bearer, as well as their home address and date of birth.

For travel abroad, a passport is almost always required. There are a few minor exceptions to this rule, with these exceptions mainly applying to international travel within North America, such as the NEXUS programme and the enhanced driving licence programme implemented by a few provincial governments as a pilot project. These programmes have not yet gained widespread acceptance, and the Canadian passport remains the most useful and widely accepted international travel document.

SOURCE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Identification_card


Thank you everyone for your support and interest in my blog!  If you are an adoptee, print this or send this blog post and link to your state senator and congressman immediately! Ask them to repeal the REAL ID ACT in your state.