"Driver card" idea collides with critics
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 03/7/06
http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/articl ... S/60307001

BY TOM BALDWIN
GANNETT STATE BUREAU
TRENTON — A dispute simmered in Trenton Monday over the notion of offering a "driving privilege card" to immigrants -- legal and illegal -- who cannot present enough evidence to secure a standard driver's license.

On the one hand, Latino activist groups and some lawmakers argued passionately that driving in New Jersey is a virtual necessity for holding a job.

Conversely, some lawmakers worried such cards, if misused as identification documents, could threaten security. Some lawmakers asked why the state should make the process easier for anyone to win basic driving privileges than to get a license.

Assemblyman Joseph Vas, D-Middlesex, who is Hispanic and the mayor of largely Hispanic Perth Amboy, is the measure's chief proponent. Vas is also running for the House of Representatives to fill the seat vacated earlier this year by U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez; Vas spliced his congressional message with his support for the drivers' cards.

Vas said he realized the card idea might be unpopular but that it is morally and economically correct, and said his willingness to take up unpopular causes would be a guiding principle of his work in Congress.

Driver cards "serve the interest of both the economy and security of New Jersey," Vas said. They would be "a key tool for helping New Jersey keep track of how many undocumented persons reside in the state," he told a news conference outside the Statehouse Annex.

Some immigrants may be driving already without passing local driving exams, so licensing them is a safety measure, Vas contended.

Recipients would have to pass tests in writing and behind the wheel, purchase auto insurance and renew the card annually. It would not be usable to enter federal buildings or to board airplanes.

Joined by other lawmakers, including Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula, D-Somerset, who immigrated from India, Vas roared "Shame on you" at critics, noting how opponents are willing to let immigrants make beds for them or wash dishes unseen in the back rooms of restaurants.

Citing immigrant contributions to the economy, Martin Perez, president of the Latino Leadership Alliance, said, "This legislation is a matter of economic necessity and fundamental fairness."

Numerous opponents

Senate Minority Leader Leonard Lance, R-Hunterdon, said he doubted the measure would garner popular support.

Sen. Robert W. Singer, R-Ocean, noting the considerable immigrant population in his district, said, "It is inexcusable that less than five years after 9/11, a legislator would even consider issuing what amounts to a de facto driving license to people who are in the country illegally."

"It would cause all kinds of problems," said Assemblyman Peter Barnes, D-Middlesex, chairman of the Assembly Committee on Law and Public Safety.

Assemblyman Jon Bramnick, D-Union, asked "why would you grant privileges to people who are here in violation of the law?"

Assemblyman Brian Rumpf, R-Ocean, called the idea "absolutely terrible." He said, "It's created quite a bit of controversy in my district, especially among seniors who are being put through a wringer to secure their licenses."

The Census Bureau found in 2000 that of New Jersey's estimated 8.6 million people, more than 13 percent are Hispanics, and 5.7 percent are Asians.

It is not clear how many are illegally in the country, having slipped across a border or overstayed a visa deadline.


The Associated Press contributed to this story. Tom Baldwin: tbaldwi@gannett.com