Thread: Illegal immigrants should be denied state driver's license

http://www.ac-ranger.com/news/2005/03/0 ... 6689.shtml

Illegal immigrants should be denied state driver's license
By Rachel Nelson, Graphics/Issues Editor
Published: Friday, March 4, 2005

When I was at the Department of Public Safety renewing my driver's license, I saw a sign hanging on the wall with bright, bold letters that stated, "E-new It!" The poster promoted the process of renewing your driver's license via the Internet. It got me thinking about how easy it would be to obtain a driver's license illegally.

Homeland security has become a hot topic in America since Sept. 11, 2001. It was discovered that most of the 19 hijackers associated with the Sept. 11 attacks carried driver's licenses from Virginia, Florida or New Jersey. That is a scary thought to any American.

Since then, 21 states have passed new laws to make it harder to get driver's licenses. Legislation has been brought to another 22 states.

Phyllis Schlafly, president of www.eagleforum.org, is passionate about the subject of not putting driver's licenses into the hands of illegal aliens. According to Schlafly, the state of Virginia was embarrassed by the fact that hijackers obtained their driver's license. In reaction, they passed a bill to stop issuing licenses to illegal aliens. Florida and New Jersey jumped on the bandwagon and passed legislation to accommodate driver's licenses with immigration visas that would expire when the visa expires.

Since then, several other states have begun regulating the issuing of driver's licenses to immigrants.

It's no wonder that the New Jersey driver's license was a popular choice of identification among the hijackers. They were made of paper and did not require a photo, making it an easy document to counterfeit.

The state now is making adjustments to its driver's licenses, making them digitized with security features including a mandatory photo, bar code, hologram and digital signature.

It is amazing to me that 20 U.S. states do not require driver's license applicants to prove that they are living in the United States legally. Considering that a driver's license is a person's pass to board an airplane, you'd think that factor would be a top concern to legislators. If we want to safeguard this country, changing driver's license laws would be more than significant.

A person who possesses a driver's license also can get a job, rent an apartment or a car, open a bank account, enter a federal building, sign up for social services, travel back and forth across our borders with Mexico and Canada, buy a gun and even register to vote. With so many comforts available, it's not surprising that terrorists have made themselves at home in America. They can live here with all the conveniences of life while they plot their crimes.

In Schlafly's article, "Driver's Licenses for Illegals Equals Pseudo Amnesty," she sheds light on a new law that allows illegal aliens to present an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) in order to obtain a driver's license. It used to be that only residents with a Social Security number could get a license.

According to the article, the ITIN is issued by the Internal Revenue Service but is worthless for identification purposes.

In order to stay one step ahead of terrorists, we must regulate the qualifications for obtaining a driver's license and demand proof of legal residence upon issuing them.

http://www.ac-ranger.com/news/2005/03/0 ... 6689.shtml

Illegal immigrants should be denied state driver's license
By Rachel Nelson, Graphics/Issues Editor
Published: Friday, March 4, 2005

When I was at the Department of Public Safety renewing my driver's license, I saw a sign hanging on the wall with bright, bold letters that stated, "E-new It!" The poster promoted the process of renewing your driver's license via the Internet. It got me thinking about how easy it would be to obtain a driver's license illegally.

Homeland security has become a hot topic in America since Sept. 11, 2001. It was discovered that most of the 19 hijackers associated with the Sept. 11 attacks carried driver's licenses from Virginia, Florida or New Jersey. That is a scary thought to any American.

Since then, 21 states have passed new laws to make it harder to get driver's licenses. Legislation has been brought to another 22 states.

Phyllis Schlafly, president of www.eagleforum.org, is passionate about the subject of not putting driver's licenses into the hands of illegal aliens. According to Schlafly, the state of Virginia was embarrassed by the fact that hijackers obtained their driver's license. In reaction, they passed a bill to stop issuing licenses to illegal aliens. Florida and New Jersey jumped on the bandwagon and passed legislation to accommodate driver's licenses with immigration visas that would expire when the visa expires.

Since then, several other states have begun regulating the issuing of driver's licenses to immigrants.

It's no wonder that the New Jersey driver's license was a popular choice of identification among the hijackers. They were made of paper and did not require a photo, making it an easy document to counterfeit.

The state now is making adjustments to its driver's licenses, making them digitized with security features including a mandatory photo, bar code, hologram and digital signature.

It is amazing to me that 20 U.S. states do not require driver's license applicants to prove that they are living in the United States legally. Considering that a driver's license is a person's pass to board an airplane, you'd think that factor would be a top concern to legislators. If we want to safeguard this country, changing driver's license laws would be more than significant.

A person who possesses a driver's license also can get a job, rent an apartment or a car, open a bank account, enter a federal building, sign up for social services, travel back and forth across our borders with Mexico and Canada, buy a gun and even register to vote. With so many comforts available, it's not surprising that terrorists have made themselves at home in America. They can live here with all the conveniences of life while they plot their crimes.

In Schlafly's article, "Driver's Licenses for Illegals Equals Pseudo Amnesty," she sheds light on a new law that allows illegal aliens to present an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) in order to obtain a driver's license. It used to be that only residents with a Social Security number could get a license.

According to the article, the ITIN is issued by the Internal Revenue Service but is worthless for identification purposes.

In order to stay one step ahead of terrorists, we must regulate the qualifications for obtaining a driver's license and demand proof of legal residence upon issuing them.