Posted on 09/05/2003 3:17:18 PM PDT by demlosers
LOS ANGELES -- California Gov. Gray Davis' quietly announced to the Spanish-language media that he will sign the controversial bill allowing illegal aliens to obtain driver's licenses.
This as critics in Davis' own state government condemned the bill for endangering the public and the electoral process by enabling illegal aliens to fraudulently vote and unlawfully purchase firearms.
SB-60, revived this year after similar bills were vetoed in 2001 and 2002, would allow 'undocumented immigrants' to apply for state-issued driver's licenses using foreign birth documents and IRS taxpayer identification numbers in lieu of previously required U.S. birth certificates and social security numbers.
The licenses issued under the proposed law would carry no indication the applicant was not a legal resident. That, critics say, will create a host of problems they say bill supporters have failed to address.
Voter Fraud Expected
A driver's license is the only official document needed to register to vote, according to the Registrar of Voters office in Los Angeles County, California. A spokesperson there said that's because, until now, a valid license was a clear indication of legal residency.
The Registrars office confirms an illegal alien, license in hand, would simply have to lie in response to the citizenship question on the voter registration form in order to begin voting.
The office said they have no way to verify whether or not an applicant is a citizen. Voter registration forms are signed under penalty of perjury, they said, and the citizenship question is simply answered, "on the honor system."
Officials at the office could not recall a single instance of a registered voter being prosecuted for perjury.
Additionally, California's motor-voter law enables driver's license applicants to simultaneously register to vote. The new license bill has no provisions to limit or remove the automatic voter registration process from the applications.
Door Open for Illegal Gun Sales
Illegal aliens have been prohibited from buying or transferring firearms since the passage of the federal Gun Control Act in 1968, but federal law enforcement sources warn the driver's license bill will enable illegals to complete seemingly-legitimate gun purchases.
Just like the voter registration documents, California gun transfer forms rely on the honor system to establish citizenship.
"If they lie on their dealer record of sale and say, 'yes they are a citizen,' when they are not, there is ... not going to be a further check completed," said Hallye Jordan, a spokesperson for the California Department of Justice.
Sources inside the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms said the implications of the new driver's license rules are especially alarming in Southern California, where they say rings of traffickers smuggle weapons from the U.S. into Mexico, where the guns are sold at inflated prices on the black market.
Currently, agents say the smuggling rings often buy stolen weapons and use 'straw purchasers' to obtain firearms. Under the rules in the new law, they say the smugglers, which are most often Mexican nationals who have crossed into the U.S. illegally, will simply obtain a 'clean' and legitimate driver license, and buy the guns legally.
Problems With the Bill
State Senator and Republican recall candidate Tom McClintock said Thursday Colorado has already passed a law rejecting the validity of California driver's licenses should Gov. Davis sign the bill.
He said the law means California licenses could no longer be used for identification or driving in Colorado after the California bill takes effect next year.
A spokesperson for California Attorney General Bill Lockyer said this week their office withdrew support for the bill after lawmakers removed provisions for electronic fingerprinting of applicants, and last week, Department of Motor Vehicles investigators warned passage would lead to rampant identity fraud.
"As peace officers, we are concerned that there are already a great number of ways to illegally obtain a DMV license," DMV Investigators Association president Richard Carillo told the Sacramento Bee newspaper.
"SB 60 doesn't require comparison of prints or documents from non-citizens with their supposed nation of origin; nor does it allow for the DMV to verify prints that should be on file with federal immigration authorities."
On August 9, the Internal Revenue Service cautioned TINs, or Taxpayer Identification Numbers, are an unsuitable source of valid identification.
"If your state is considering legislation to accept (individual taxpayer identification numbers) as proof of identity for driver's licenses, please alert your legislators to potential security risks," says a letter
Here's there logic for supporting the bill:
- Law Enforcement Officers in the state of California are in one Union or another
- Democrats are generally pro-union
- Illegal aliens generally support Democrats
- Providing Driver's Licenses to Illegal Aliens will make it easier for them to vote
- Ergo - supporting the bill to give Illegal Aliens Driver's Licenses will give the LEO Unions in California more power.
See Below:
Article I, Section. 10.
Clause 1: No State shall enter into any Treaty, Alliance, or Confederation; grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal; coin Money; emit Bills of Credit; make any Thing but gold and silver Coin a Tender in Payment of Debts; pass any Bill of Attainder, ex post facto Law, or Law impairing the Obligation of Contracts, or grant any Title of Nobility.
Clause 2: No State shall, without the Consent of the Congress, lay any Imposts or Duties on Imports or Exports, except what may be absolutely necessary for executing it's inspection Laws: and the net Produce of all Duties and Imposts, laid by any State on Imports or Exports, shall be for the Use of the Treasury of the United States; and all such Laws shall be subject to the Revision and Controul of the Congress.
Clause 3: No State shall, without the Consent of Congress, lay any Duty of Tonnage, keep Troops, or Ships of War in time of Peace, enter into any Agreement or Compact with another State, or with a foreign Power, or engage in War, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent Danger as will not admit of delay.
The emphasis is mine, but since I'm no attorney I can't even make an educated guess - but it seems to me that California has essentially entered into an agreement with a foreign power. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
Article IV:
Section. 2. Clause 1: The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States.
Now does this mean that once you have a driver's license (obviously you're a citizen of California with a driver's license), then your ID is de facto US citizenship? Please tell me it doesn't.
Article IV:
Section. 4. The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence.
How hard would it be to make the case that California has in fact been invaded?
Yes, I'm grasping at straws here. We're witnessing firsthand one of the greatest violations of what this nation stands for - the rule of law. If this is allowed to stand, we are witnessing the end of our Republic.
SB-60, revived this year after Davis vetoed similar bills were vetoed in 2001 and 2002,...
Aw, c'mon, Dude. Stop talkin' all that French. Let's Party on! We're just all one big happy family, right?
I don't think the Feds could get an injunction under current laws. In fact, there are several other states which already allow people to secure driver's licenses without regard to the legality of their immigration status.
But, if we wanted to, the Feds could pass some new laws of its own. For example, the Congress could pass a law requiring motorists to secure a new Federal driver's license before driving on public streets and highways. We could have a United States DMV! A lot of folks would oppose that, but I'm confident that the courts would find that Congress has the power to do that if it wishes.
Another thing that the Feds could do is to require that voters in any Federal election possess a Federal ID Card, which the government could print and issue. This would in practice force states and localities to require voters to utilize the Federal ID Card for all voting purposes.
The real problem with illegal immigration, however, is that there simply isn't the will in this country to end it right now. This driver's license law, stupid as it is, really doesn't do much other than to give talk show hosts a way to complain about illegal immigration without advocating steps that are really necessary to end it.
People don't sneak into our country to secure a California driver's license. They come here for employment opportunities that they can't find at home. The only sensible way to stop that immigration is to go after the employment relationship by making it more costly (in the form of penalties) for employers to hire illegal immigrants. But, since doing that would amount to stepping on some very important toes in this country, that isn't being done.
So, instead, we're just going to continue to hear folks call for the construction of immense walls and the posting of unavailable armies at our borders. In the county where we live, illegal immigration has been just another fact of life, at least since I was born a long, long time ago. ;-)
This is insane .... do Davis realize what he is about to do ??
ANYONE can pick up a new ID in America simply by going to California, getting a Taxpayer ID and then turning it into a driver's license.
Boom, say goodbye to a criminal underclass (new ID)
Say goodbye to fugitives from justice
Say goodbye to real deadbeat dads.
Say goodbye to ANYONE that wants to disappear
Would it really be that hard to get a matricula ID if a criminal flashed enough cash at corrupt Mexican officials ?
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