Papers, Please! — If you read this website and this particular pdf linked here you’d think the government is out to turn the USA into a prison compound for all its citizens. Perhaps the southern border fence is to keep us in, not to keep anyone out.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has revealed the exisitence of an “Automated Targeting System” for all international travelers (and some domestic travelers whose reservations are linked with anyone traveling internationally, as well as other people identified in reservation records) that collects information about travelers including their complete travel reservations, assigns each person a “risk assessment” score each time they cross the U.S. border, and stores these secret dossiers for 40 years.

The DHS claims the right to “share” this information with local, state, and Federal agencies and foreign governments, but won’t allow you to see your own dossier or find out what score they have given you, whether you are a target, or any of the information on which they have based your score.

The database will be used for “targeting”. The DHS doesn’t say what will happen to you if your lifetime travel score makes you one of their targets, but presumably it will be one of the factors the DHS will use to decide whether to give you permission to travel.



  1. tallwookie says:

    ROFL – I mapped the address shows on that card ( N76 W14726 Northpoint Dr., Menomonee Falls, WI ) on google maps and thats his REAL address apparently… so is this a legit card then?

    btw, he lives just north of I-94 in the brookfield area of Milwaukee, WI

  2. Higghawker says:

    The not being able to find out your score should worry all. And what is (undefined, secret administrative permission to travel issued by competent judicial authorities) ? Could this be any more vague?

  3. giap says:

    And we’re still scraping away the moraine from the edge of the turd glacier inching out from Pennsylvania Ave.. Know anyone in IT who works in banking? See if you can draw out some of the regulations imposed by Homeland Security — which include sanctions against anyone divulging those regulations; so, they keep quiet if they wish to keep their jobs.

    I have no doubt the same stinking policies are designed to infect every aspect of “official” public and private commerce. The rationale is always the same: the War on Terror. The answer is always the same — if you question the regs: Aren’t you a patriotic American? The Constitution is of no consideration whatsoever.

  4. Jägermeister says:

    Phrases like “The land of the free” and “The beacon of freedom” sounds so hollow nowadays.

  5. Thanks much for posting that. The website is very interesting too.

    I live in Canada but am a US citizen. If its use is authorized I wonder how it will affect my right to travel to and from the US?

  6. gquaglia says:

    Aside from the “Real ID” at the top of the card, I kind of like it. Everyone citizen should be issued one. This would make the problem of deciphering the myriad of state and local ID and driver’s license moot. A multi pass for everyone. As far as I see the only ones who wouldn’t like it are:
    1. Criminals
    2. Illegal Aliens
    3. Hippies
    4. Anti government types, this includes both left and right wing wackos
    5. Conspiracy theorist
    Other then that, it would make everyone’s life a lot easier.
    Let the flames begin!

  7. V says:

    Well, if you omit the details that the government has no business whatsoever asking me about my religion (beyond a census) and occupation (beyond what’s necessary for taxes).

    The rest of that information is available on every driver’s license. The only remaining problem is that number can and will be used for identity theft.

  8. gquaglia says:

    You should be able to know how the government sees you.

    They know all anyway. Credit cards, cell phones, ez pass all traceable back to you and where you go, so its not like it would be much different. Some may say “I only use cash”, or “I don’t own a cell phone”, well congratulations, you fit into category 1,2 or 5. Most people use these conveniences and are traceable at all times, big deal.

  9. Jägermeister says:

    #8

    I’ve got no problems with ID cards. As a matter of fact, I’ve had a number attached to myself all my life. What bothers me about this new and “improved” card is that its intended use is not just for identification, but tracking. There’s very clear parallels between these ID cards and the internal travel visas that were used in Soviet Union. Perhaps they should be used that way? So, what’s around the corner? Should it cover your political affiliation? Your sexual preference? Your work credentials? How much information should it contain to make people like yourself sleep better? And by the way… the 19 terrorist who performed the September 11 attacks had their papers in order.

  10. random_chevy says:

    How long until we can get them personalised like our automotive vanity plates?

  11. Tom 2 says:

    This has to stop.

  12. Spencer says:

    Remember when we in the US were so proud that we the freedom to travel without the government’s permission or monitoring?

    This freedom set us apart from totalitarian societies like the USSR, or East Germany, or Nazi occupied Europe during WW2. We were better because we had freedom from government supervision of our coming and going.

    So now the government monitors our travels, and if it wants to it can prevent us from traveling overseas.

    I have a great name for this program to monitor our travels: Security Transportation And Safety Information, or STASI for short.

  13. UScotty says:

    Eyes: glassy

  14. hdtwin says:

    Yep this is his valid address and I know this because he is my neighbor. Google maps doesn’t handle the Menomonee Falls addresses correctly, yahoo maps does the best job.

  15. Mark says:

    Put a frog in a pot of boiling water and he’ll jump out. But put him in a pot of cold water and turn the heat up slowly and he will happily cook to his death. I’d say we are at about medium temp about now. I’m starting to get jumpy.

  16. bill says:

    Everyone should be ‘chip’d’… that way we can tell who you are when you are shot trying to come home.

  17. noname says:

    I can’t wait until we really get a “representative” government again; you know the type, for the people by the people. The kind our founding fathers had in mind we they kicked out “King George”.

    As for as I know there aren’t public marches with people chanting “ID cards for everyone”, am I wrong?

    If the public isn’t pushing it why is the government???????

    Maybe #6 gquaglia and #7 pedro are having their own two person march on Washington, news at 6.

  18. Greg Allen says:

    I regularly fly to several weird-ass places.For example, I’m planning a trips to both Pakistan and Iran in the next couple of months.

    What are the odds that this could get me on some no-fly list?

    I’ve been following this story for a few months because it has me worried. The claim is that passengers — EVEN AMERICAN CITIZENS — can be prevented from re-entering (or leaving!) the USA without any due-process. The claim is that the list is totally ‘black” and can not be challenged or even seen by the banned passenger.

    Anyone else hear of it? Here’s one link:

    http://brilliantatbreakfast.blogspot.com/2006/11/if-you-plan-any-international-travel.html

    The new rules require that the airlines send a passenger manifest to the TSA who green light each passengers on the list.

    What I’m not clear about is how they vet the passengers. Probably no citizen understands this nor will we be allowed to — even with our own personal case.

    Will my strange travels get me on a “no fly list” because I take many of the same routes as the terrorists?

    My fear is that me and my wife and daughter will show up at an airport and I’ll get held back in some foreign country and told I am on a no-fly list and there is no appeal since the list is classified.

  19. Kamatari Honjou says:

    Why is religion even on this card, also his ID number look an awful lot like a SSN number…..

  20. xjonx says:

    #1 I looked at the SSN and it is a number assigned to West Virginia. Try to talk your way out of that at the airport.

  21. tallwookie says:

    yeah, I assume that the person who made the ‘shoppd image didnt know what the first 3 of ssn were for WI – that or the esteemed senator is actually from west virgina.


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