http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/ ... lates.html

Bills would tighten rules for auto tags
Illegals would find it harder if car owner must show proof of legal U.S. residency.

By BRIAN FEAGANS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 01/13/07

An ongoing cat-and-mouse game between license plate offices and illegal immigrants has a new player — the General Assembly.

Sens. Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock) and John Douglas (R-Social Circle) want to patch what they call gaping holes in the mishmash of county standards determining what people need to obtain an auto tag in Georgia.


Joey Ivansco/AJC
(ENLARGE)
Barrow County tag clerk Jessica Garrett reviews documentation, including the driver's license of an applicant, before issuing a new license plate Friday. Something like the county's tough rules could be adopted statewide.

At many tag offices, applicants who say they have arrived in Georgia within the past month can receive a license plate by furnishing a driver's license from another state or country. That allows people who are in the country illegally — and unable to qualify for a Georgia driver's license — to get behind the wheel.

Newcomers are supposed to acquire a Georgia driver's license within 30 days of arriving here. But most tag offices allow them to renew their registration and license plate by mail each year, without checking whether they actually did so.

The state's fast-growing population of illegal immigrants — estimated at 470,000 last year by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security — has brought the issue to the forefront. Last year, Rogers authored what is considered one of the nation's toughest crackdowns on illegal immigrants at the state level. Denying them auto tags this year will further "demagnetize" Georgia, he said, making the state less attractive to people who have entered the country illegally or overstayed their visas.

"As a state, do we want to continue to grant license plates to people who are living here illegally?" he asked. "I think the resounding answer is 'No.' "

The trick will be weeding out drivers who abuse the system without punishing out-of-state students, military personnel and other special cases, Rogers said.

Douglas took the first stab Thursday, filing a bill that would force people to prove they are legal U.S. residents at the tag office. Applicants would have to furnish a birth certificate, U.S. passport or federally issued document showing they're in the country legally.

Rogers, a co-sponsor of Douglas' measure, said he plans to introduce a slightly different bill next week. He wants to allow a broader list of documents, including a Georgia driver's license. The two bills could be merged at some point, he said.

Immigrant advocates called the tag offensive another ill-advised attempt to go after the symptoms of a broken immigration system rather than waiting for a federal fix. Poultry plants, construction companies and carpet mills would suffer, said Jerry Gonzalez, executive director of the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials. "I think businesses that rely on immigrant labor are going to be hurt by [these] overzealous efforts," he said.

Currently, each county's tax commissioner determines what a Georgia newcomer needs for a license plate, creating a constantly changing tapestry of tag rules. Gwinnett and DeKalb counties grant tags to applicants with a foreign driver's license or passport, for example, while Barrow and Cherokee counties don't. Cobb, DeKalb and Fulton counties require applicants to prove they live within county limits. Gwinnett doesn't.

As standards have loosened and tightened over time and place, illegal immigrants have always found a way around them, said Jay Homewood, financial manager at Winder Automax Inc. Homewood said that while he won't sell to customers who tell him they're in the country illegally, most don't say anything. Roughly a quarter of his clients buy with a foreign or out-of-state license, he said.

"They know how to play the game," he said, peering out into the used-car lot ringed with the flags of various Latin American countries.

But the rules of the game have changed suddenly in Barrow. And Tax Commissioner Melinda Williams posted them in pink all over the county tag office two months ago. All license plate applicants must have a Georgia driver's license, the signs say, even new arrivals to the state.

Williams, who makes exceptions for students and military personnel, said her staff was wasting enormous amounts of time with people seeking to renew their registration and tag in person. Many still had foreign or out-of-state licenses, even though the 30-day grace period had long passed. "It was causing us a lot of problems," Williams said. "I hope I don't get sued."

Barrow has grown into a magnet for construction workers from Latin America, including some who are here illegally. So Williams has unintentionally created a sort of preview of what might happen under tighter state standards.

Business has plummeted at Winners Circle Motors, said Bethany Blackstone, who does the title work at used-car dealership. Dealers don't receive their money from a sale until furnishing loan officers with a copy of the title registration. So they can't sell to Barrow residents who don't qualify for a Georgia driver's license, Blackstone said.

"Unless they buy with cash, you can't finance it," she said, bemoaning the loss of two potential sales earlier in the day to people who had driver's licenses from Alabama and Mexico.

Lorena Medina, who helps Spanish speakers through the tag and title process, said a handful of her clients hit the wall in Barrow each week now. Most go to other tag offices, said Medina, co-owner of Alba & Lorena's Express Services in Winder. Among the most popular alternatives is neighboring Gwinnett, she said.

There, applicants must sign a statement swearing they live in the county, but don't have to prove it. Gwinnett is, however, studying how others counties have tightened their proof-of-residency requirements, said Anthony Buffum, director of the county Department of Motor Vehicles.

Buffum likes the idea of statewide standards, as long as they're based on easily recognizable documents such as a Georgia driver's license. Buffum said his staff isn't trained to determine the authenticity of birth certificates, for example. "That's like turning the tag office into an immigration agency," he said.

Legislators will have to be mindful of special cases, too, said Charles Willey, a spokesman for the Georgia Department of Revenue, which oversees tag offices. Out-of-state residents sometimes buy cars for Georgia drivers, he said. Temporary contractors from other states and countries may need tags. And different parts of the state may have their own distinct situation, Willey said.

"Something that seems very reasonable for Atlanta may not be reasonable for Rabun County," he said. "It's going to be hard to throw a blanket over this."

Rogers said he suspects most Georgians want him to try. And he has at least one unlikely supporter.

Homewood, the used car dealer, said he'd back anything that cuts the number of illegal immigrants driving Georgia roads, as long as it's applied to all counties and not just his. Homewood fears many of them drive without auto insurance — a claim immigrant advocates say is often exaggerated.

"I'm all for it," he said, "and I'm the one who's going to take the financial hit."