FR Exclusive: Jeb answers questions about his support of drivers licenses for undocumented workers

Jeb's emails to FR poster, summer | April 6, 2004 | Jeb Bush

[summer]

Note to FR, from summer:

FYI -- I am posting here below: (1) an email I sent to Gov Bush today, (2) his email response to me, and (3) another email response he directed to me, and you, from his office.

As most people here know (because I wrote about it at length on FR), I previously had a long dialogue with Gov Bush about education, via email. And, at times, I have emailed him about issues of concern to people on FR.

Consequently, this is another exclusive for you.

summer

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Email #1, from me to Gov Bush, today:

-----Original Message-----

From: [summer]
Sent: Tuesday, April 06, 2004 3:11 PM
To: Jeb Bush
Subject: FR person's fax to you

FR Person's fax to you

Gov Bush, I'm sending a copy of this to you, as suggested in the headline, so that if you want to respond online, to the people reading it, let me know and I will post it for you. [summer]

---------------

Email #2, from Gov Bush to me, in response to above:

----- Original Message -----

From: Jeb Bush
To: [summer]
Sent: Tuesday, April 06, 2004 6:54 PM
Subject: RE: FR person's fax to you

[summer], I will get [my office] to respond to you.

Jeb

----------------------------------------

Email #3, directed by Gov Bush to me and you, from his office, to all here:

----- Original Message -----

From: [Gov Bush's office]
To: 'Jeb Bush'; [summer]
Sent: Tuesday, April 06, 2004 7:25 PM
Subject: RE: FR person's fax to you

[summer] --

I hope the below Q&A is helpful. Please let me know if you need anything else.

Best,

[Gov Bush's office]

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Florida Safe Driving Act

[1] Why give driver licenses to undocumented aliens?

Florida has no power over immigration and naturalization issues, but it does have a duty to protect the safety of its citizens. Allowing Florida’s more than 400,000 illegal aliens to obtain a driver license under very strict conditions will increase safety on our roads and highways. It will boost compliance with Florida’s auto registration and insurance laws.

Also, a separate provision in the bill makes it easier for people with visas to renew their Florida driver licenses. Many individuals from outside the country visit Florida annually for an extended period of time. The new law allows them to renew their licenses every two years, rather than having it automatically expire every time they leave the country.

[2]Why wouldn’t the state just deport the aliens once they have verified their identity?

Under Federal law, no state has the power to deport anyone; it is exclusively the domain of the Federal government.

[3]What does the bill require?

This bill creates some of the highest verification standards in the country. It has more than 15 requirements for approval, and it requires the consulates to provide the applicant’s documentation to the state of Florida.

Aliens would be required to:

Ø show an identification card with digital image that has been produced with standards that would prevent counterfeiting;

Ø provide a second form of identification;

Ø submit fingerprints to the state; and

Ø agree to a criminal background check from their country of origin, the state of Florida and the United States.

The bill creates a mechanism for Florida to work with foreign consulates to approve a stringent means by which to verify the alien’s identity and ensure the consulate is not issuing a duplicate ID. Any consulate that cannot meet these verification standards will not be able to participate in the program.

Among the requirements consulates must show:

Ø documentation that the applicant has not been convicted, or is wanted of a crime equal to a felony in his home country;

Ø a certified copy of the applicant’s official driving record from home country;

Ø certification that the form of identification is legitimate;

Ø certification that the underlying documents used to issue identification are legitimate; and

Ø certification that the home country has security system in place to prevent multiple issuance of identification cards to the same individual.

[4] Who does this bill not apply to?

Aliens from countries on the U.S. State Department’s list of state sponsors of terrorism are prohibited from applying, as are those who are subject to an order of deportation. Felons cannot apply nor can aliens who cannot establish presence in the state for at least six months in the past five years.

[5] How does this differ from California law?

First, California law did not exclude applicants from the list of countries maintained by the U.S. Department of State as state sponsors of terrorism. In addition, California did not require state and national criminal background checks, nor did it provide procedures in conjunction with foreign consulates to verify identity and criminal backgrounds with an applicant’s home country.

[6] Where will the licenses be valid?

The licenses are valid in Florida only, for two years. They will have a distinct look from standard driver licenses.

[7]How will the bill be implemented?

Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles will be responsible for adopting stringent procedures and coordinating with the consulates to ensure verifications of identity and background history of aliens. Consulates will have to provide certifications of the processes they have in place to establish identity of their citizens who apply. If a consulate does not meet these standards, their citizens will be prohibited from applying.

[8]What are the benefits of issuing the licenses?

First and foremost, this bill promotes safety by requiring that aliens pass driving tests before they get on the road. It will also boost compliance with Florida’s auto registration and insurance laws. Increasing the number of insured drivers is an enormous benefit to all on the road. Currently, a licensed driver who gets into an auto accident with an unlicensed alien has no means to recover damages against the uninsured alien.

There are also law enforcement benefits; a database of licensed drivers helps law enforcement verify the identity of a driver who is pulled over. Unlicensed, undocumented aliens currently are not part of this database.

[summer]

I meant: see posts #181-203.

[summer]

I kinda thought you'd be asking Jeb what the scoop is. :-)

LOL...thanks for your thoughtful post #212, gitmo.

[summer]

But as so many posters have pointed out, such an attempt is pure folly. How do you cover one with the law, when their mere presence in this nation is a violation of law? I have no doubt that Jeb Bush is a sincere human being, but I also have no doubt that he has grown blind to principle by pragmatism.

Thanks, Biblebelter. I appreciate your comments.

[wku man]

"We're rapidly losing our country, and if you're under thirty, you'll see it in your lifetime."

I'm with you, but even more pessimistic. I think that anyone under the age of 50 will not only see it, but will have to actively deal with the consequences. Stay strong.

Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!

[baltodog]

Thanks for asking!!!

1) They are helping to undermine an already weak economy. Being paid under the table means that they don't pay taxes or report income, they don't have health insurance, don't have automobile insurance while at the same time...

2) They get free medical care and social service programs from our currently lenient welfare laws, they get free public education if they have children, they are able to get food stamps and food assistance because immigration status has nothing to do with these benefits.

3) They refuse to assimilate into our culture and accept our laws as their own. They bring their own lifestyle here to the U.S. and force our standards down to theirs, not vice-versa.

I used to live in Saugatuck, MI. We lived in a duplex. A family of five moved in next door. We welcomed them. They did not speak English and a translator had to be hired when their kids went to the public school that welcomed them.

On Halloween, we gave the kids some used costumes and gently used clothes. These were shipped back to their country.

Within a month of moving in, twenty-one (as in 21) people were living there. Immigration attorneys were constantly calling my wife and I seeking assistance in processing their visas, getting references, etc. Since there were so many of them, rent was shared. We barely kept our Dodge minivan running, while they were buying brand new trucks. We had to budget for groceries and heat, while they got their's free.

We never once had a cockroach until they moved in. My kids never had head lice until they moved in.

Our community dumpster overflowed the day it was emptied.

They had chickens in their basement. They urinated into their sump pump. They urinated off the porch. They urinated on my sailboat.

My landlord refused to do anything about it. Health and Human Services of Allegan County told us it was none of our business.

I'm watching neighborhoods deteriorate beyond repair here in Wichita.

I will not let my family go through this again. I was sympathetic until I witnessed how they take advantage of our good will.

Illegal is illegal. Period.

Thanks for letting me vent.

[John123]

All right. That was honest of you. Would a National Sales tax help relive some of your concerns? Everybody pays. No free rides.

[summer]

Hi,

I’m writing to thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts on this thread. Thank you.

Also -- If you didn’t have a chance to read the entire thread to date, the debate included comments ranging from:

1) ... I don't know that I agree with Governor Bush on this, but I am glad that he took the time to explain his position. I think he makes some good points, however, I wonder if there isn't a better solution to be had. [posted by Diva Betsy Ross]

to:

2) …A patriotic American like Jeb Bush would never support such a treasonous plan to devalue American citizenship by giving greater rights to foreign invaders. [posted by Joe Schem]

to:

3) …What a weasel. [posted by Willie Green]

BTW, if you are interested in my own thoughts on this matter, I wrote what I have concluded in posts #181-204.

And, as I said in my first post, I will compile all the many questions posted on this thread and send these questions to Gov Bush. If he or his office emails me back a response to those questions, I will post the response and ping you.

Finally, I would like to let those who are unfamiliar with all I have written on FR about Gov Bush to know the following:

When I first emailed him several years ago, I was not on FreeRepublic, and had never even heard of FR. I only knew at that time he actually seemed interested in my thoughts as a teacher on various matters; and, whether by chance or design, some of the matters I wrote to him about were later addressed in new bills he then signed into law.

So, is it worth your time to post on a thread like this? I think it is. And, I did send it to him. Maybe he will read it all -- and decide one or more of your ideas was better than his.

Consequently, thanks again for taking part in this debate. Even a governor can be a good student, as I myself discovered -- much to my own surprise -- years ago. I think that's why he became my favorite governor.

summer : )

[summer]

I meant to ping you to the above post. :)

[Willie Green]

to:
3) …What a weasel. [posted by Willie Green]

Thank-you, summer.
Please be sure to let Jeb know that I think he's a weasel on the high-speed rail as well.

[summer]

Will do, Willie. :)

[PJ-Comix]

I think that's why he became my favorite governor.

I've always been sort of partial towards the Louisiana Kingfish myself but, hey, that's just me.

[summer]

LOL...

[Joe Hadenuf]

Illegal is illegal. Period.

Indeed it is. Hopefully, Governor Bush will go out the same way the Governor from California did.

Hard to believe a Republican Governor is reading and using Gray Davis's old notes.

[Nea Wood]

I will compile all the many questions posted on this thread and send these questions to Gov Bush.

Thanks, summer. I appreciate the ping. Please continue to keep us posted.

[Nea Wood]

Great post. Every word is the gospel truth.

[familyofman]

You can try & cover for Jeb, but he's the one that made the ass*ole staement - now he has to live with it.

[summer]

Thanks, summer. I appreciate the ping. Please continue to keep us posted.

I'll do my best. Thanks for your nice post here, Nea Wood. :)

[Libertina]

The truth is good to speak - even if it isn't what some people want to hear.

[Tribune7]

Thanks summer. Nice job.

[brityank]

From your prior response: ... there are some very unfair situations right now involving illegals, ...

Thanks for the thread, Summer, and to the others for the honest responses. I too believe it is past time that we close and lock down the borders, and deport the illegal aliens. However we cannot do that on a mass basis; as you and others have shown, there are some aliens here -- some married to American citizens and some children caught by circumstance -- who should be granted some type of amnesty.

I also want to place the onus on the employers to verify their right to work, but the Fed has thrown up so many roadblocks in the verification process that it is near impossible to get that verification.

Governor Bush has the means to enforce the laws against the illegal aliens; he can call on the Florida National Guard and the Florida State Troopers for enforcement, and put the various police agencies on notice that illegal aliens -- when apprehended during any police activity -- will be held and turned over to the INS.

I hope he rethinks his support to the driver license policy, it is not in the best interest of Florida or the US.