Thread: Judge Prohibits Texas From Denying Driver’s Licenses to Le

Judge Prohibits Texas From Denying Driver’s Licenses to Legal Immigrants

By Stephen Clark

Published July 29, 2011

A judge this week ruled this week that Texas can no longer deny driver's licenses to legal immigrants with temporary visas and must issue standard licenses instead of non-standard ones approved by a state panel three years ago.

Judge Orlinda Naranjo said in a ruling Wednesday that the Texas Department of Public Safety exceeded its legal authority when it adopted a policy in 2008 as part of a crackdown on identity theft and fraud that requires immigrants applying for driver's licenses to prove they're in the country legally.

Gov. Rick Perry, a popular choice among Republicans looking for a 2012 GOP presidential contender, supported the policy that was a blueprint for a new law that is set to take effect at the end of this September. Under the law, all legal immigrants with visas authorized for less than one year or scheduled to expire in less than six months are still entitled to standard-issued driver's licenses.

"The governor continues to support requiring driver's license applicants to prove they are in the country legally before being issued a license," Perry spokeswoman Lucy Nashed said in an email to FoxNews.com.

The debate over driving privileges for illegal immigrants has raged across the country with most states prohibiting it but others considering a two-tiered licensing system. But driving privileges for legal immigrants is more standard fare in the states.

In Texas, the ruling is a victory for immigrant rights groups who said that thousands were denied standard-issued licenses even though they had valid immigration documents issued by the federal government.

"The unlawful DPS attempt to deny licenses to immigrants violated our national tradition and aspiration, so we welcome the court's wise ruling," said Thomas Saenz, president of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), a Latino civil rights group.

MALDEF sued the state on behalf of six immigrants and a landscaping business that employs foreign workers under the federal H-2B visa program. That program allows companies to hire temporary foreign workers after certifying that they can find no American workers to take the jobs.

"We are very pleased that the court halted DPS from implementing its own arbitrary, misguided policies that denied licenses to hardworking immigrants living in the United States with permission," said David Hinojosa, MALDEF Southwest Regional Counsel and lead attorney in the case.

"These irrational policies have not only affected those immigrants and their families, causing them to suffer from discrimination, but also impacted hundreds of Texas businesses who legally employ immigrants, and we are glad to put an end to the senseless action."

A DPS spokesman declined to comment. The state is appealing the ruling and DPS can continue its policy until the new law takes effect.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/07 ... =obnetwork


Judge Naranjo may be showing "racial" preference on this issue. Although Hispanic is not a specific race.

Orlinda Naranjo (D)

State District Judge (Travis)

Entered Office: 12-27-2006
Term Ends: 12-31-2014
District: 419
General Information

Birthdate: 06-08-1951
Personal Information

Undergraduate degree - Highlands University in Las Vegas. JD-University of New Mexico School of Law in Albuquerque.

Naranjo is a member of the Travis County Women Lawyers Association, the Austin Bar Association and the Hispanic Bar Association of Austin. Naranjo is a fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation and a member of the Robert Calvert American Inns of Court, Austin chapter. She serves on the Texas Judicial Council and the Task Force for Indigent Defense. She formerly served as a board member of Austin Smiles and as co-chair of Austin ISD Community Working Group. Naranjo also volunteers with the Hispanic Women's Network of Texas.

A graduate of Highlands University in Las Vegas, she received her law degree from the University of New Mexico School of Law in Albuquerque.
Contact and Phone Numbers
P.O. Box 1748
Austin, TX 78767
(512) 854-4023
Fax: (512) 854-2224
Contact via Email

General Contact for Travis
Mailing:
P.O. Box 1748
Austin, TX 78767
(512) 854-9000
Fax: (512) 854-9535
Elections Division
Website
Contact via Email
Other Offices Held

Judge, 419th Judicial Civil District Court Travis County (Judicial Council, Texas)
http://www.txdirectory.com/online/perso ... fice=22686

MALDEF sued the state on behalf of six immigrants and a landscaping business that employs foreign workers under the federal H-2B visa program. That program allows companies to hire temporary foreign workers after certifying that they can find no American workers to take the jobs.

Just more proof we need a 5 to 10 year moratorium on new immigration, because any company that certifies it can find no American workers to take these jobs hasn't looked and instead locked its office doors, stopped answering its phones, deleted its voice mails before listening to the messages, stopped opening its mail, blocked emails and falsified its certification.

quote(we need a 5 to 10 year moratorium on new immigration,)quote

This is the only way to ever control this issue especially with our current economic problems however until our system totally breaks-down and that is on it's way then we will see some action. America cannot survive the greed, corruption,outsourcing,loss of manufacturing and the continuing immigration problems for much longer.

It's either bought judges that need an "ethnic" lawyers group to join and a little sugar-candy from Soros or its our own ruling-class on the right.
Please view and rate my vid on the Texas Ruling-Class

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1q9FCr9KGlc

The judge is a Democrat. Anyone surprised by that?

Dixie