Free Republic

Today, on Beacon Hill, a joint hearing will be held on a pair of bills that would clear the way for illegal immigrants in Massachusetts to receive driver’s licenses.

Congressman Chris Collins is taking a swing at Governor Cuomo's recently-signed Green Light NY bill with one that would withhold federal highway money from states that give drivers licenses to illegal immigrants. “Once again, Governor Cuomo has put his socialist agenda ahead of the safety of American citizens,” said Congressman Collins. “Governor Cuomo should be enforcing laws that protect Americans instead of supporting those who break our laws. Citizens should feel safe behind the wheel, but now in New York there will be a strong likelihood that illegals could be driving uninsured and unregistered vehicles wreaking havoc on our roads.”...

The California law allowing undocumented immigrants to get driver’s licenses may have an unexpected benefit for thousands of people waiting for organ transplants statewide. The California Transplant Donor Network says undocumented immigrants may have caused a 30% spike in the state’s organ and tissue donor registrations so far this year. The immigrant drivers, many of whom are from Mexico, also could boost numbers of Hispanics on the donor registry who are more likely to match with Hispanics waiting for transplants, the network says.

Transportation Security Administration workers will be getting training on how to recognize District of Columbia driver’s licenses and identification cards. […] The Washington Post reported earlier this year that a District teacher was questioned about the validity of her license while boarding a plane in Phoenix. Many similar stories later surfaced. …

A proposal to grant Colorado driver’s licenses to people in the country illegally got initial approval in a Senate committee Wednesday, marking a shift in a state that seven years ago passed strict enforcement laws. The bill passed the Senate Judiciary Committee on a 3-2 party-line vote, with Democrats in favor. The proposal still needs to be approved by the full Senate. Democratic Sen. Jessie Ulibarri, the sponsor of the bill, argues that immigrants living in the country are already on Colorado roads, and that it would benefit everyone if they were licensed, carried insurance, and knew the rules of...

Do you think undocumented immigrants should be allowed to have driver's licenses? Yes No

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Five Albuquerque-area residents were named in a recently unsealed federal indictment connected to what authorities say is a multistate scam abusing New Mexico's law that allows illegal immigrants to obtain driver's licenses.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Illegal immigrants will no longer have to fear losing their vehicles during routine traffic stops if a bill passed by the Assembly becomes law.

Unlicensed drivers without prior convictions would be given the chance to avoid having their vehicles impounded under new rules outlined Tuesday by the Los Angeles Police Department. The proposed changes to the impound procedures are a potentially explosive issue because LAPD Chief Charlie Beck designed the reforms to remedy what he believes is the unfair burden that impounds place on illegal immigrants. Since immigrants who are in the country illegally cannot get driver's licenses in California and most other states, they make up the majority of the drivers who have their cars impounded for the infraction. Beck contends that the...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – According to the latest census, there are more than a half million undocumented immigrants living and working in North Carolina. Right now, they're not allowed to get a driver’s license, but a local group is hoping to change that soon. Maudia Melendez works with Jesus Ministry and is an advocate for immigrants, but after living in North Carolina for 25 years she's also an advocate for the state, which is why she is behind the Drivers Licenses for Undocumented Immigrants project. "We need to have something that benefits everybody," said Melendez. "We're going to know who is...

PROVIDENCE — Governor Chafee was already on record as favoring a softer approach when it comes to checking the immigration status of new employees, and he was on record as supporting in-state tuition rates for illegal immigrants. But driver’s permits for people here illegally? He didn’t say he supports the idea, but he did say this week that he’s looking into it, and in doing so, he touched off a firestorm on talk radio and the Internet. People called the idea an insult and called him out of touch for wanting to “reward people who had broken the law.” Some...

Immigrant advocates are shaking their fingers at the three suspected Chinese crime ring leaders accused of selling New Mexico licenses. They are also planning a peaceful protest against Governor Susana Martinez' work to take away driver's licenses from illegal immigrants. A woman who helps the immigrant community live and thrive here in Albuquerque said she heard about the nearly four hundred indictments against the alleged Chinese crime ring leaders accused of illegally selling New Mexico driver's licenses. Bertha Campos works with illegal immigrants; making food and helping them earn money. Campos said, "We are a very united community." Campos believes...

SANTA FE, New Mexico (Reuters) - An Albuquerque woman was indicted on Thursday on charges of creating fraudulent residency documents to help illegal immigrants get New Mexico driver's licenses. New Mexico is currently one of three states, including Utah and Washington, that allow undocumented immigrants to lawfully obtain driver's licenses if they can show proof of residency and identity. The grand jury indictment accuses Ana Hernandez, 45, of more than 300 felony counts over accusations she used her Albuquerque business address on documents she fraudulently created for Mexican nationals so they could obtain licenses. "This is yet another egregious case...

Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck has adopted a common-sense approach to dealing with unlicensed drivers and the cars they drive. Under Beck's new rule, when officers at sobriety checkpoints stop unlicensed drivers, they can issue them tickets or, if they have no identification, arrest them. But police are no longer allowed to impound a car if a licensed driver or the registered and licensed owner is on hand or can pick up the car in a reasonable amount of time. This helps officers do their jobs while complying with a federal court ruling that set limits on when cars...

A woman who was severely injured in a traffic accident found the woman cited in the accident still driving without a license. But when she complained to police, officers did little to get the driver off the road and told the woman she could be arrested for harassing the unlicensed driver, a CALL7 Investigation uncovered. ...

Two D.C. Council members have introduced a bill to allow drivers' licenses to be issued to residents who cannot provide a Social Security number, which could make it easier for undocumented immigrants to get around the city. The bill, sponsored by Council members Phil Mendelson (D-At large) and Jim Graham (D-Ward 1), could reopen the debate over illegal immigration in a city long known for its lenient policies on the issue. But the bill, which failed to draw any co-sponsors, could face an uphill struggle to win approval in the 13-member body. Currently, according to Mendelson, the Department of Motor...

ANNAPOLIS — Gov. Martin O'Malley told lawmakers yesterday he hopes a Democrat will win the presidential election this fall, which will save him from implementing a federal law that allows only U.S. citizens to receive driver's licenses. "I was very pleased," said Sen. Jennie M. Forehand, Montgomery Democrat, who attended the Women's Legislative Caucus breakfast where Mr. O'Malley made the statement. Mr. O'Malley, a Democrat, said he is primarily concerned about the cost of the program, known as the Real ID Act, after saying last month he would implement the law by Jan. 1, 2010. Supporters of the federal program...

Seventy-seven percent (77%) of American adults are opposed to making drivers licenses available to people who are in the country illegally. A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that just 16% take the opposite view and believe that undocumented immigrants should be allowed to get a license. State surveys in Virginia and Kentucky show similar results. Eighty-eight percent (88%) of Republicans oppose giving drivers’ licenses to undocumented immigrants. So do 68% of Democrats and 75% of those not affiliated with either major political party. There is little difference along gender, age, or income levels. New York Governor Elliot Spitzer recently...

A driver's license bureau employee who earned roughly $24,000 a year made thousands on the side illegally selling licenses to Brazilian immigrants, state authorities said. Cammie Gray Andres, 46, a driver's license bureau employee since 2000, illegally charged at least five undocumented Brazilians between $2,500 and $3,000 for driver's licenses, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Using bogus Social Security numbers, Andres falsely issued them under a program designed to exchange licenses for valid ones from U.S. territories such as Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. She faces multiple counts of unlawfully issuing driver's licenses, official misconduct and unlawful...

Friday, November 02, 2007 Which of These Were Registered to Vote? I'll Give you a Hint. There were eight! JOHN FUND ON THE TRAIL WSJ 'This Will MakeVoter Fraud Easier'Why does Mrs. Clinton want driver's licenses for illegal aliens? Sen. Hillary Clinton was asked during a debate this week if she supported New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer's plan to give driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. At first she seemed to endorse the idea, then claimed, "I did not say that it should be done, but I certainly recognize why Governor Spitzer is trying to do it." The next day she...