Schumer welcomed ID laws to counter welfare fraud in the 1990s, but now says voter ID ‘Jim Crow 2.0’

A video has emerged of Senate Democratic leader Charles E. Schumer in 1996 talking about the importance of ID checks to prevent welfare fraud by illegal immigrants.

The video is going viral online as Mr. Schumer and the rest of his party now vehemently oppose Republicans’ voter ID legislation. He describes the GOP-authored SAVE America Act, which requires photo ID at the polls and proof of citizenship to register to vote, as “Jim Crow 2.0” and says it is designed to disenfranchise minorities.

“Let’s admit the truth. Everywhere people go, they’re asked for a Social Security card. In fact, one way to prove you’re a bona fide person who can have a job is to ask for a driver’s license and a social security card,” Mr. Schumer, then a House lawmaker, said in support of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996.

“This is an anti-fraud amendment. All over where we go, people say, ‘Well, why can’t you stop illegal immigrants or others from coming here?’ And the number one answer we give our constituents is, ‘When they come here, they can get jobs, get benefits against the law because of fraud.’”

The Washington Times reached out to Mr. Schumer’s office for comment.

The bill he discussed restructured the U.S. welfare system and restricted immigrant eligibility for public benefits, increasing the need for benefit-granting agencies to verify immigration status. It also defined “federal public benefits” and “state and local public benefits.”

Mr. Schumer came out against voter identification in the 2010s, when stringent voter ID laws began to pass across the country, specifically following the Supreme Court’s 2013 Shelby County v. Holder ruling, in which the majority said part of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was unconstitutional.

The decision struck down the formula used to determine which states and localities required Justice Department approval for voting-law changes, effectively rendering the Section 5 preclearance process unworkable.

The ruling allowed for the immediate adoption of stricter voting laws, including voter ID, where Jim Crow laws that enforced segregation previously existed.

Advocates of federal voter ID laws say that they give public confidence in elections and prevent fraud, such as double voting, voter impersonation and noncitizen voting.

Mr. Schumer and other Democrats claim it is a scheme to stop Black Americans, Hispanic Americans, women and poor people from voting.