Posted on 11/04/2004 8:47:30 AM PST by NormsRevenge
SACRAMENTO – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger yesterday spelled out a key concession he is demanding from Democrats before signing any resurrected legislation that would give illegal immigrants the ability to obtain driver licenses.
"I've already made it very clear that it has to be a different color driver's license so it's very clear it says foreigner or immigrant," the Republican governor said.
Schwarzenegger's demand for a different-colored license could be troublesome for Democrats who feel it is discriminatory. They have reluctantly explored less-visible ways to distinguish licenses, such as a different sequence of numbers, a code embedded in the magnetic strip on the back of the license or a simple extra letter.
But the governor made it clear that he will accept nothing less than a completely different license so that it is immediately identifiable and could not be used for any other purpose.
The governor's edict comes as leading Democrats on the issue appeared to be edging apart on whether to acquiesce on a specially marked license.
Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, D-Los Angeles, seems to favor delivering a bill that satisfies the governor. But Sen. Gil Cedillo, a Los Angeles Democrat who has made the issue a crusade, is reluctant to give in since the issue was not a decisive factor in any legislative race this year.
Schwarzenegger recently vetoed legislation that would have cleared the way for up to 2 million illegal immigrants to obtain driver's licenses if they provided adequate identification and passed background checks, among other requirements. The Republican governor said the bill lacked safeguards to prevent fraud.
Undeterred, Cedillo pledged to introduce a similar measure on the first day of the new legislative session, Dec. 6. The measure's final form probably will not be settled until after additional talks with the governor.
Cedillo, author of several similar bills over the years, has resisted any identifying mark, calling it discriminatory.
"My proposal is for the safest, strongest bill in the most nondiscriminatory manner," he said in responding to the governor.
But Assembly Speaker Nunez appears more agreeable, apparently concluding that a different license is better than no license at all.
"Put a star on it. I don't care. We'll do it," Nunez said. Supporters of the measure have compared the mark to the star German Nazis forced Jews to wear.
Cedillo said Nunez's stance does not reflect his views.
Schwarzenegger said an easily-identifiable license is important to ensure that fraudulent licenses are not used to open bank accounts or board planes.
Cedillo disputes that contention, saying forged documents can be cheaply bought on any street corner in Los Angeles. A license, he said, would allow those here illegally to be tested and buy insurance, making roads safer.
Cedillo said he suspects Schwarzenegger vetoed the most recent bill to give Republicans a chance to use the issue to capture more seats in the Legislature. Those gains never materialized, Cedillo said, because the issue doesn't resonate in Democratic districts.
"The anti-immigrant hysteria is not any louder than the AM dial," he said, referring to conservative talk radio hosts who hammered away at those who backed his bill.
Demonrats could care less if illegals can drive, they want them to be able to vote. As with all phoney Democrat compassionate issues, this is yet another tool to help them gain at the polls.
The problem with allowing the license at all, is that a later governor can easily order a color change so that the illegal immigrant license cannot be distinguished from the regular one
It's legal for them to use Mexican drivers licenses --- but that's not what they want --- crossing the border at the official entry ports only requires a US drivers license as proof of legal US residency.
any sleeper cells in the state could then go back and forth from the US to the Middle East via Mexico and completely circumvent the US Visit system.
You notice they don't mention voting at all.
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