Immigrant driver license repeal passes
Rewrite of measure planned -- governor says he'll work for a 'sensible solution'
Sacramento -- A bill repealing a law that would have allowed illegal immigrants to get driver's licenses starting Jan. 1 cleared its last legislative hurdle Monday, giving Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger his first victory in the Democrat- controlled Legislature.
The governor pledged to work with the author of the overturned bill and other lawmakers to come up with a "sensible solution'' to the safety issues posed by undocumented immigrants driving on California roads and highways.
Democrats reluctantly agreed to repeal SB60, a law that would have allowed 2 million undocumented workers to obtain driver's licenses, after opponents gathered enough signatures to put a repeal of the measure on the March ballot.
The Assembly voted 64-9 to repeal the bill. Schwarzenegger is expected to sign the measure as soon as it reaches his desk.
After losing the recall, hearing from their constituencies and facing a March ballot initiative, the Dems did what Pols do when faced with defeat, they retreated to live another day.
Of course not everyone gets it.
"Terrorists don't just come across borders," said Assemblywoman Sarah Reyes, D-Fresno.
Myron Payes, of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, said the law should have been implemented, not washed away.
Payes said background checks just for illegal immigrants would not be fair.
"Let's do it for everyone," he said. "It's not only the immigrant population that has people who are criminals."
WTF? Ms Reyes could recite a dozen legitimate responses, yet she chooses to insult our intelligence. Since 9/11, the open borders are our greatest security threat and the most obvious access points now that transportation hubs/entry ports are under close scrutiny and electronic surveillance.
Californians, residents from other states and legal immigrants MUST provide a valid SS# and a thumbprint in order to obtain a CADL. That is, in my opinion, an invasion of privacy, an abuse of the SS ID system and in effect a background check. The license itself is issued when the applicant proves he/she has the skill to operate a vehicle safely, knowledge of the rules of the road, the means to license and insure the auto and a willingness to obey traffic laws. Other than felons or criminals who are expressedly forbidden to hold a driver's license by a court, any resident may apply and receive a CADL by meeting the qualifications.
Wasn't the point of legalizing alien drivers to insure that all drivers qualified by passing the tests, purchased registration and insurance, not dole out special rights above the rest of the citizenry or further intrude on our rights.
This sort of nonsense is exactly what pisses off reasonable people who are in favor of illegals obtaining a work permit and setting up a system to identify and regulate the cross-border flow of workers and employers, so we don't have repeat of the Bracero debaucle or stresses our public service funding to the breaking point and denies services to Californians, many whom have paid into the system with a life time of hard work.
Posted by feste at December 2, 2003 09:44 AM | TrackBack