No licenses for illegals

HOW REFRESHING!
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No licenses for illegals
Newark NJ Star Ledger

Tuesday, July 19, 2005

Zeneida Rivera's arrest has left a lot of illegal immigrants in a jam. They had counted on her to help them get driver's licenses from Tennessee, where an immigrant does not need to prove he is in this country legally, just claim to be living in Tennessee. Rivera, who sits in a Knoxville prison, was charged by federal authorities with ferrying illegal immigrants from New Jersey and New York to Tennessee to get licenses. We understand why undocumented immigrants would pay up to $1,000 for a two-day trip to Tennessee to get a license. What we don't understand is why Tennessee looks the other way. Only a few states take this loose approach to licenses, but more are expected to do so in the next few years. A new federal law requires states to issues driver's licenses only to those who can prove they're here legally. That same law allows states to offer a second-tier license, a driving certificate. For that, a driver must certify that he lives in a state and produce some form of identification -- a passport, a birth certificate, a consular ID card. Students on visas, business people in the country for a limited time and those fleeing political persecution are likely applicants. And so are illegals. New Jersey has some of the tightest regulations for obtaining a driver's license, but at least one lawmaker -- Assemblyman Brian Stack (D-Hudson) -- is thinking about easing those requirements. Backers of the idea say that regardless of a person's immigration status, it's better to have a motorist who has passed both a written and road test. That does have a certain appeal. Meeting yesterday in Des Moines, Iowa, the nation's governors had another take on the issue. They warned that the new federal law will create long lines at motor vehicle agencies and a possible tripling of fees. Further, they said, the law would turn motor vehicle clerks into immigration officials. Those on the other side of the issue argue logically that the country should not be encouraging illegal immigrants by rewarding them with driver's licenses. We'd like to see a driver's license in the wallet of everyone driving a car, but we have a hard time getting past the idea that if you're here illegally you shouldn't get the rights of those who are here legally. © 2005 The Star Ledger© 2005 NJ.com All Rights Reserved.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/12883415.htm

Posted on Wed, Oct. 12, 2005



N.J. woman pleads guilty in license scam case


Associated Press

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - A New Jersey woman pleaded guilty Tuesday to ferrying illegal immigrants to Tennessee and providing them with fake identification to get driver's licenses.

Zeneida Concepcion Rivera, 54, was accused of helping at least 60 illegal immigrants obtain licenses in the state.

Rivera and her boyfriend, who has not been indicted and was not identified, ferried the immigrants to Tennessee over a period of nine months and provided them with documents for East Tennessee addresses and, in some cases, auto insurance policies and fake birth certificates, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeff Theodore said.

Theodore said the immigrants were then taken to testing centers in either Knoxville or Maryville for their licenses.

Rivera and six immigrants were arrested in July at a Knoxville motel by the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force. The six immigrants pleaded guilty in July under an agreement to testify against Rivera and will serve a maximum of six months before deportation.

Defense attorney Mike Whalen said Rivera was only charging the immigrants her costs to obtain the documents and was not making a profit. She is an immigrant resident alien who has been in the U.S. since the 1990s.

Rivera could face a maximum penalty of 15 years, but would likely be sentenced to 10 to 16 months. She is free on bond pending sentencing Dec. 15.

Theodore said the case was ongoing and could result in more defendants and charges.

Tennessee's lax motor vehicle regulations have been blamed for accidents in other states. A recent review of accidents on Virginia's Eastern Shore by The Virginian-Pilot newspaper found that many were caused by illegal immigrant drivers in vehicles registered in Tennessee.

Tennessee does not require identification or proof of insurance when a vehicle is titled and plates are issued, as long as the motorist pays cash. Most states require identification or proof of insurance, and Virginia requires both.

State Sen. Bill Ketron, R-Murfreesboro, said he plans to introduce a bill during the next legislative session, which begins in January, that would toughen titling and registration requirements.