Thread: Driver's license campaign for immigrants in peril

Driver's license campaign for immigrants in peril

denverpost.com
By KRISTEN WYATT Associated Press
Updated: 05/22/2012 12:38:17 PM MDT

DENVER—Immigrant advocates seeking a Colorado ballot measure to allow illegal immigrants to get driver's licenses said Tuesday their petition drive is going slowly, and that their effort to seek an end-run around elected officials by asking for direct public approval is in peril.

"It's going slow because we do not have that many resources," said Jose Ortiz, spokesman for a group of Colorado immigrants and others seeking the ballot measure. Ortiz said group members have less than 5 percent of the signatures they want to collect by August.

If approved by voters, the ballot measure would change a law that requires proof of legal residency to be issued a Colorado driver's license. Activists say illegal immigrants are driving anyway, and that the public would be safer if those drivers could seek licenses and auto insurance.

Critics say granting driving privileges to illegal immigrants creates an incentive to violate immigration laws. Colorado law was changed in 1999 to require proof of legal residency to obtain a driver's license. Advocates for changing the law back argue that the 1999 change did not deter illegal immigrants.

"They said that people would go home. That if we made it hard enough, they would all go away. We all know that did not happen," said Jennifer Piper, one of the campaign organizers.

New Mexico and Washington are the only states that allow illegal immigrants to obtain the same driver's license as a U.S. citizen. Utah grants immigrants a driving permit that can't be used for identification, unlike a driver's license that helps people open bank accounts or board a commercial flight.

The Colorado proposal would give illegal immigrants regular licenses that could be used as government IDs.

Ortiz said supporters are hoping for a direct public-safety appeal to persuade voters to put the driving question on ballots. State lawmakers, he said, won't change driver's license policy on their own.

"We know politicians right now don't have the will to put this on the table," Ortiz said.

A national survey released Tuesday suggests Ortiz's argument is true not just in Colorado but nationwide. The National Conference of State Legislatures detected a dramatic decline in immigration-related bills, including driver's license or other ID proposals.

In 2011, there were 171 ID-related bills in 40 states, according to the organization's survey. This year, there were 83 such bills proposed in 29 states. Only one became law, a Utah measure making clear that firearms cannot be sold or transferred to illegal immigrants.

Colorado law requires some 86,000 signatures to put a measure on ballots, though campaign organizers say they want to turn in 140,000 signatures to account for errors. Complicating matters for the immigrant advocates is the fact that people who would benefit from the proposed change can't sign the petition; only registered voters are counted toward citizen initiatives.

The driver's license measure signatures are due Aug. 6.

Driver's license campaign for immigrants in peril - The Denver Post

It is "going slow" because 77% of Americans OPPOSE LICENSES FOR ILLEGAL ALIENS. Did you miss the destruction of John Corzine and Elliot Spitzer on this issue?

W

The bigger issue is that a driver's license is used as identification for many other purposes than driving - such as an i.d. to get on an airplane.

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Oh, crap, they can't drive anyway, license or not. I live in Mexifornia, and they drive like crap. Most of the accidents are CAUSED by illegals. They can't read the signs let alone know the rules. They wait until you get right on them then they turn right in front of you going slow as they don't want to get stopped for speeding. In Los Angeles, they won't even confiscate their cars if they are caught driving without a license or insurance because it creates a hardship for them. I AM SICK SICK SICK. I wish we would elect a government that has balls and wants Amreica to stay the same and don't want to see our way of life changed forever. It is a nations right to protect itself. I do not see the need to further diversify our country. Dversity is not strength. Divide and conquer.

Driver's license campaign for CO immigrants slow
Immigrant advocates seeking a Colorado ballot measure to allow driver's licenses for illegal immigrants say their petition drive is going slow.

Posted:

12:50 PM May 22, 2012

Reporter:

Associated Press

DENVER (AP) -- Immigrant advocates seeking a Colorado ballot measure to allow driver's licenses for illegal immigrants say their petition drive is going slow.

The activists say they have less than 5 percent of the signatures they want to collect by August. If approved by voters, the ballot measure would change a law that requires proof of legal residency to be issued a Colorado driver's license. Activists say illegal immigrants are driving anyway, and that the public would be safer if those drivers could seek licenses and auto insurance.

Critics say granting driving privileges to illegal immigrants creates an incentive to violate immigration laws. New Mexico and Washington are the only states that allow illegal immigrants to obtain the same driver's license as a U.S. citizen.


source: Driver's license campaign for CO immigrants slow

Originally Posted by ReggieMay

The bigger issue is that a driver's license is used as identification for many other purposes than driving - such as an i.d. to get on an airplane.

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and to . . . VOTE ..