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No drivers' licenses for illegals [Dems' ideas: NO; Jeb's ideas: YES] (from St. Pete Times)
St. Petersburg Times ^ | May 3, 2002 | Editors

Posted on 05/04/2002 10:30:56 AM PDT by summer

A Times Editorial

No drivers' licenses for illegals


© St. Petersburg Times
published May 3, 2002

Democratic state Rep. Bob Henriquez of Tampa says the tighter procedures adopted by the state driver's license bureau Sept. 11 are disadvantaging Hispanics in his district, particularly undocumented workers. He says the state might want to consider providing a special driver's license to people here illegally. Come again?

While we understand that many Hispanics here illegally are contributing to the state's economy by working hard for little pay -- picking produce on farms, washing dishes in restaurants and making beds in hotels -- the state should not be legitimizing this often exploitative underground economy. The millions of people who live in this country illegally should not be rewarded for jumping the line. They have come here in violation of immigration rules that others from their country who wish to emigrate are patiently following.

Even before the nation went on a terrorism alert after the Sept. 11 attacks, the state was taking actions to ensure that driver's license applicants were legal residents and were the person they said they were. Bob Sanchez, spokesman for the state Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, says the state had already been moving toward a tighter screening process to address identity theft.

Henriquez has a point when he complains that documented immigrants are sometimes finding it difficult to prove their legal status. The more vigilant the DHSMV is in checking and verifying documentation, the more likely people with odd situations will have a hassle. Some legal immigrants, for example, only have a court order granting them political asylum and don't have the typical green card. Sanchez says the department will grant non-citizens a 30-day temporary license while it double-checks their paperwork. He said new scanning devices will help expedite the process.

As for Henriquez's other concern -- the inability of illegal immigrants to get a driver's license -- he should forget it.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Politics/Elections; US: Florida
KEYWORDS: 2ndamendment; dems; driverlicenses; fl; florida; illegals; jebbush
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Interesting editorial, from a newspaper not known for supporting Gov. Bush -- yet, they are supporting his position on FL drivers licenses and illegals.

Gov. Bush speeded up his crackdown on licensing procedures after 9-11, so that anyone who is not a US citizen now has to go to certain offices to apply for licenses, where they encounter a lot of other new rules. Some Hispanic groups have complained, and Dems are now making an issue of it.

But, not even the St. Pete Times editors want illegals to have these licenses any longer.
1 posted on 05/04/2002 10:30:56 AM PDT by summer
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To: Jeb Bush; *Florida
For index.
2 posted on 05/04/2002 10:31:22 AM PDT by summer
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To: It'salmosttolate; ned
FYI.
3 posted on 05/04/2002 10:35:53 AM PDT by summer
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To: summer

Here is an idea to help stop voter fraud: Put on the driver's license whether the person is a CITIZEN or not. The we can stop the use of drivers licenses by non-citizens in getting voter registration.


4 posted on 05/04/2002 11:26:10 AM PDT by WOSG
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To: WOSG
Good idea! BTTT.
5 posted on 05/04/2002 12:32:40 PM PDT by summer
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To: WOSG
Or, if they are non-citizens, do something visually striking on the license, like making the background color different.
6 posted on 05/04/2002 12:33:33 PM PDT by summer
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To: summer
....AND put the pix on the opposite side of the ID card. They do that with prison ID's. Staff pix is on the right with a certain background. Prisoner pis is on the left with an obviously different background.
7 posted on 05/04/2002 3:46:10 PM PDT by lkside
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To: lkside
Another good idea. Thanks for your post.
8 posted on 05/04/2002 8:27:14 PM PDT by summer
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To: Spookbrat; not-alone...
FYI. :)
9 posted on 05/04/2002 8:27:43 PM PDT by summer
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To: WOSG
Well, if they're not citizens they should be deported. I know, when pigs fly! My dream is for the federal government do its job by deporting illegals and imprisoning those that hire them.
10 posted on 05/04/2002 8:36:57 PM PDT by dougherty
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To: summer
GO JEB!!
11 posted on 05/04/2002 11:56:57 PM PDT by mafree
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To: summer
Democratic state Rep. Bob Henriquez of Tampa says the tighter procedures adopted by the state driver's license bureau Sept. 11 are disadvantaging Hispanics in his district, particularly undocumented workers. He says the state might want to consider providing a special driver's license to people here illegally.

Another example of a Latino politician doing what he can to help out his fellow Latinos, even if they've broken the law.

12 posted on 05/05/2002 12:12:00 AM PDT by usadave
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To: summer
Democratic state Rep. Bob Henriquez of Tampa says the tighter procedures adopted by the state driver's license bureau Sept. 11 are disadvantaging Hispanics in his district, particularly undocumented workers. He says the state might want to consider providing a special driver's license to people here illegally. Come again?

My Gosh, Summer. What are those DIMocRATS smokin' there
in Florida?? What is the "Flamers" (Reno) position on this??

Bush bump! :O)
13 posted on 05/05/2002 4:08:52 AM PDT by MeekOneGOP
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To: dougherty
My dream is for the federal government do its job by deporting illegals and imprisoning those that hire them.

The laws are already on the books. It's not like this is a new problem and we have to pass special legislation to deal with it.

What is the hold up?

14 posted on 05/05/2002 4:23:22 AM PDT by Brownie74
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To: MeeknMing
since when has not having a license stopped people from driving? i doubt most illegals have licenses anyways and most of them drive; much like the inner city community.

i also doubt that not having a driver's license keep them from voting (with a little help from the dems! LOL)

15 posted on 05/05/2002 4:30:12 AM PDT by bandlength
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To: bandlength
since when has not having a license stopped people from driving? i doubt most illegals have licenses anyways and most of them drive; much like the inner city community.

Tennessee lawmakers used similar reasoning in passing a law last year to allow immigrants to obtain driver's licenses even without documentation or a Social Security number.

The reasoning was that -- since they are here anyway -- they should at least be encouraged to learn the rules of the road and buy auto insurance. The same mindset has flooded public schools with condoms. (Hey, they're gonna have sex anyway...)

The result was thousands of illegals obtaining a universally-recognized ID card that they would not have qualified for under any other circumstances. I have no figures to show whether any of them became better drivers or purchased insurance as a result. But we can probably make an educated guess.

This year, the legislature revised the law, providing those without documentation a license prominently stamped "FOR DRIVING PURPOSES ONLY." Aliens would also have to renew it and be photographed every year instead of every five.

An improvement? I'd like to think so...but I really don't. Remember, this is the state where three Middle-Eastern men are charged with conspiracy to produce fake driver's licenses, and where a driver's license examiner charged with them was found burned to a crisp in her car, the day before her scheduled arraignment. It's not believed Katherine Smith committed suicide.

16 posted on 05/05/2002 5:01:34 AM PDT by ihatemyalarmclock
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To: MeeknMing; mafree
:)
17 posted on 05/05/2002 6:33:10 AM PDT by summer
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To: usadave
Well, that Latino politician is certainly not winning many votes from non-Hispanics for his position here.
18 posted on 05/05/2002 6:34:03 AM PDT by summer
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To: ihatemyalarmclock
I can't recall the details, but I read somewhere about a rason TN driver licenses are not even accepted in parts of the country as airline ticketing ID for passengers.
19 posted on 05/05/2002 6:35:08 AM PDT by summer
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To: summer
Makes sense to me - but, then again, I live in Tennessee where they give out Drivers Licenses with every $10 Gas Purchase. . .
20 posted on 05/05/2002 6:46:52 AM PDT by Alabama_Wild_Man
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