What role would the government play? Who would run criminal background checks?
Government would have a critical role in determining the rules for the issuance of temporary non-citizen worker permits by private companies. Government would license such companies and set up rules for running criminal background checks on applicants, and would enforce those rules, just as government enforces those rules with gun dealers. Government would determine what information should be included on the smart cards, and would regulate and control the database, although it could be housed on private computers and paid for privately. The private card issuer would run the criminal background checks, checking applicants against government databases (FBI). Ideally, the criminal background checks should consult both the American database, and that of the applicant’s home country, since the U.S. doesn’t want people who have committed violent crimes anywhere.
