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I'm starting a company that only makes white flags... Any investors?
Posted on 02/20/2002 10:58:49 PM PST by Sabertooth
Immigrant licenses debated
State lawmakers hold hearings on allowing illegal aliens to be issued driver's licenses.
Eagle Topeka bureau
TOPEKA -- A federal immigration official disagreed sharply with some state lawmakers and a Kansas police chief Tuesday over whether the federal government is enforcing immigration laws.Federal agents will respond to any report from local police about people who are not in the country legally, said Robert Visnaw, a special agent with the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
His statement to a panel of lawmakers was met with skepticism and disbelief.
"If you want to find undocumented workers in this town, I can find you a thousand tonight," said Rep. Rick Rehorn, D-Kansas City. "If you're willing to enforce the immigration laws, you better spread the word."
The issue pending before state lawmakers is whether to issue Kansas driver's licenses to people who are not in the country legally.
Hispanic groups are seeking to reverse a law passed two years ago that requires proof of legal residence for a license. They contend that workers who have obtained a federal tax identification number from the Internal Revenue Service should be allowed to drive legally.
Visnaw, assigned to the Kansas City immigration office, conceded that the federal government is sending mixed signals -- collecting taxes from workers who are in the country illegally while insisting that they should be deported.
The IRS, he said, does not share names and other information from the tax ID numbers with the federal immigration agency.
Many lawmakers say the state is left to deal with the reality that thousands of illegal residents are living in the state, holding jobs and raising families.
"Right now, the tendency is to pretend that undocumented workers are not living among us and it is not a problem," said Rep. Tom Klein, D-Wichita, whose district is heavily Hispanic.
John Douglas, chief of the Overland Park Police Department, said the majority of illegal residents have started the lengthy process to obtain legal status.
In the meantime, he said, a driver's license with a photo, linked to a federal tax ID number, would help police even if the name was false. Police could at least link the photo and number to past crimes committed under the same name, he said.
He warned against trying to ignore the presence of illegal residents.
"They will create a shadow society like we've seen in places like Los Angeles," he said.
Visnaw, however, showed members of the House Judiciary Committee samples of a federal tax ID card that he said he created on his computer with a color printer.
Outside the hearing room, Visnaw conceded in an interview that most illegal residents were unlikely to be deported. He said the district office, with 14 agents to cover much of Kansas and Missouri, concentrates on illegal residents who have committed serious crimes.
Rep. Mike O'Neal, chairman of the committee, said he was interested in creating a separate driver's license that clearly states that the holder is not a legal resident.
He asked Visnaw if the immigration agency would object --"other than the philosophical problem of 'they shouldn't be here anyway'; let's get over that." Visnaw did not object.
Sheila Walker, director of the state's motor vehicle division, said her agency could implement a separate card. However, she remained opposed to giving any kind of license to illegal residents.
A license is used as identification for such things as opening bank accounts and applying for credit cards, she said.
Walker asked lawmakers to consider guidelines developed by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators. After the Sept 11 attacks, the group called for a standardized process to get licenses and ID cards, including proof of legal residence under federal law.
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I'm starting a company that only makes white flags... Any investors?
This is an all-Kansas Freeper ping.
OK.. why are ILLEGAL aliens being given a tax ID# number ??
In the meantime, he said, a driver's license with a photo, linked to a federal tax ID number, would help police even if the name was false. Police could at least link the photo and number to past crimes committed under the same name, he said."
??????????????????????????????????
So now the idiot police are advocating issuing bogus driver licenses?
Of course. How else will they be able to account for bogus money laundering schemes and credit card fraud, silly....methinks we will be seeing some new "Know Your Customer" legislation coming down the pike soon.
Don't laugh!
Well, duh!!
John Douglas, chief of the Overland Park Police Department, said the majority of illegal residents have started the lengthy process to obtain legal status.
A curious statement. What are these amnesty proposals all about then? Just reducing paperwork?
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