Thread: Some say illegal aliens can get licenses too easily in Maine

Some say illegal aliens can get licenses too easily in Maine
Boston Globe : March 21 , 2008 -- by Maria Sacchetti

"The issue is turning this predominantly white state into an unlikely battleground for illegal immigration. Only 3.2 percent of Maine's 1.3 million residents are immigrants.But Maine is among a shrinking group, including Hawaii, Maryland, New Mexico, Utah and Washington, in which illegal immigrants can get licenses because of legal loopholes or special programs, according to the National Immigration Law Center."

PORTLAND, Maine - Authorities nabbed the first group in September 2006, illegal immigrants from Poland and Peru cruising down Washington Avenue, all of them in town to apply for Maine driver's licenses. The next month, authorities arrested another group. Last month, they caught a third.

Maine is the only state in New England in which illegal immigrants can still get driver's licenses, and federal officials fear that Vacationland is becoming a destination of a different sort: The go-to state for unlawful immigrants seeking state identification that would make it easier to live, work, and drive in the United States.

Now pressure is intensifying on Maine to tighten its rules, following Michigan, Oregon, and most US states with tougher requirements. During last month's arrests, a New Jersey driver reportedly told authorities that illegal immigrants know that a Maine license is an easy catch.

"On every single level, it gets to Mainers," said Dean Scontras, a Republican candidate for the US House of Representatives. "The more you draw people to this state for the wrong reasons, it drives the behavior we don't want."

The issue is turning this predominantly white state into an unlikely battleground for illegal immigration. Only 3.2 percent of Maine's 1.3 million residents are immigrants. But Maine is among a shrinking group, including Hawaii, Maryland, New Mexico, Utah and Washington, in which illegal immigrants can get licenses because of legal loopholes or special programs, according to the National Immigration Law Center.

Proponents of driver's licenses for illegal immigrants living in Maine, including the Maine Civil Liberties Union, say licenses ensure that everyone has passed the required driving exams, gets insurance, and is added to a state database so he or she can be tracked.

But critics say the practice is a security risk: With licenses, people who aren't supposed to be in the United States could use airports, enter federal buildings, or purchase firearms. Having lax rules could attract illegal immigrants from other states, they say, which is not what either side intended.

Maine does not require people who apply for driver's licenses to prove that they are in the country legally, or even that they reside in the state. Applicants must pass a written test, a road test, and show identification, such as a passport or birth certificate. In 2005, Maine strengthened the rules to require a Social Security number or proof that an applicant is ineligible for one, but critics say illegal immigrants are still getting through the system.

About 2,600 of Maine's 1 million licensed drivers, less than 1 percent, do not have bona fide Social Security numbers, which means they could be in the country illegally, according to the secretary of state.

After much criticism - including from CNN's Lou Dobbs, who this year called the governor and secretary of state "complete idiots" - the Legislature is considering making state residency a requirement to get a license. Governor John Baldacci, a Democrat, said through a spokesman that he would consider screening for legal immigration residency, as well.

But Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap, who oversees the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, said stricter rules for licenses will not solve the problem. Instead, he said, Congress should fix a system that has allowed 12 million illegal immigrants to enter the country.

"Their immigration status is really their problem, not my problem," Dunlap said. "If you don't give them licenses, you're doing two things: You're ensuring they're going to drive anyway, and you're just driving them into the shadows."

In downtown Portland recently, fallout from the debate played out on the streets, where illegal immigrants waited in thin sweatshirts and rubber boots for rides to fish plants and furniture factories. Several workers said they didn't bother to get a license because they feared getting pulled over and deported. Instead, they walk, ride bicycles or the bus, or carpool with a licensed driver.

"It would be good to get a license," said Sammy, 27, who declined to give his last name because he is in the county illegally from Chiapas, Mexico. "Sometimes I get a job far away, and if nobody can take me, then I can't go."

A 24-year-old man from Guatemala, who would not give his name, said he and a cousin abandoned their car in Texas after an accident a few years ago, something he said he would not have done if he had a license and did not fear deportation.

"If the police stop you, you're out," he said as he waited for a ride to his second job assembling furniture.

But federal authorities said Maine is attracting illegal immigrants from other states, solely to get licenses and return home.

In 2006, federal authorities arrested and charged two Polish immigrants in separate driver's license schemes with transporting illegal immigrants to Maine from New York, Connecticut, and other states in exchange for $750 to $1,200 each, according to federal court documents. The men pleaded guilty and were sentenced to more than a year in jail each.

In February, a New Jersey man was arrested for transporting two illegal immigrants to Maine to get licenses.

"It's a security issue that needs to be looked at and needs to be seriously addressed," said US Attorney Paula Silsby, who has prosecuted these cases. "The current policy in Maine is a failed policy."

Massachusetts, like many states, requires proof of state residency to get a driver's license, which is believed to screen out illegal immigrants. Governor Deval Patrick has said he would consider driver's licenses for immigrants without legal papers, but the issue has largely been abandoned.

Other states have struck a compromise.

In 2005, Utah created "driving privilege cards," which look slightly different from driver's licenses, for immigrants and others who lack Social Security numbers. In January, a state audit found that 76 percent of driving-card holders had vehicle insurance, similar to 82 percent of regular licensed drivers, suggesting that illegal immigrants were obeying the rules. Though the law has been criticized, it recently survived an attempt to repeal it. "The governor does think that this program is working," said Lisa Roskelley, spokeswoman for Utah Governor Jon Huntsman Jr., a Republican.

In Portland, where snow still covered the ground in front of the red-brick buildings downtown earlier this month, Rosa Gonzalez said she hoped the state would take a different approach and make sure immigrants can get licenses. They have to go to work in freezing temperatures, she said, and it's hard to get around without a car. "It snows practically every day up here," said Gonzalez, a US citizen originally from the Dominican Republic and an owner of La Bodega Latina, a market catering to immigrants with 13 versions of hot sauces and a kiosk for sending money home. "They have to work. If they don't work, they don't live."

http://www.numbersusa.com/news?ID=9827

In Portland, where snow still covered the ground in front of the red-brick buildings downtown earlier this month, Rosa Gonzalez said she hoped the state would take a different approach and make sure immigrants can get licenses. They have to go to work in freezing temperatures, she said, and it's hard to get around without a car. "It snows practically every day up here," said Gonzalez, a US citizen originally from the Dominican Republic and an owner of La Bodega Latina, a market catering to immigrants with 13 versions of hot sauces and a kiosk for sending money home. "They have to work. If they don't work, they don't live."

Ahhh, advice from another profiteer!

No, hija, they don't need a license if they have no legal status. They cannot work legally in the US. If they cannot get work, they go home!

God help you Maine, you reap what you sow.

Found this article also:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articl ... try_point/
So moved from News from Other Groups to News for more exposure.

Man charged in scheme to get driver's license

Wednesday, April 2, 2008
PORTLAND (AP) - A Massachusetts man accused of bringing an illegal immigrant to Maine to obtain a driver's license awaits a bail hearing Thursday in U.S. District Court.

Guilherme Malaquias, 23, of Newton, Mass., allegedly drove fellow Brazilian Marison Celante, 19, to Biddeford, where they were arrested March 20 at the U.S. Post Office.

Unlike most states, Maine requires neither proof of citizenship or proof of residency from license applicants. The Legislature is considering a rule change to require proof of residency.

Malaquias' case is similar to that of a Brazilian from New Jersey who was arrested a month earlier at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles in Augusta after he allegedly brought two women to Maine to get driver's licenses. According to court records, Anderson Dos Santos, 30, told officials that Maine is known among Brazilians for having lax rules for issuing licenses.

A federal immigration agent claims that Malaquias, whose tourist visa expired nearly two years ago, has allegedly transported other illegal immigrants on day trips from Massachusetts to Maine to get licenses.

Malaquias had obtained a license in November 2006, using a Biddeford post office box as an address, according to an affidavit filed by Brian Featheringham, a senior special agent with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement unit in Portland.

Celante, who was charged with immigration violations and faces deportation, said he got Malaquias' name and cell phone number from his insurance company, and that Malaquias agreed to help for $2,000, according to the affidavit.

Malaquias faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 if convicted of transporting illegal immigrants for gain.

Don Cookson, spokesman for the Maine secretary of state's office, said the state has already taken steps to crack down on fraud. He noted that a 2005 law made it illegal to use expired visas or other documents as proof of identification.

But Cookson noted that the measure now before lawmakers would check for residency in Maine, not for immigration status. He said it's not the job of state workers to determine whether a person is in the U.S. legally.

Comments

Posted By:E at April 2, 2008 5:44 AM (Suggest Removal)
Maine does need to be particular who gets a license. When I got my first license is 1963 in my home state I had to show my birth certificate. Even though I was younger when i got it there was no doubt that I was a citizen and legal resident of the state and of the USA.



Posted ByasBoot at April 2, 2008 6:32 AM (Suggest Removal)
It's unbelievable that the state allows almost anyone to get a license. If I were the federal government, I wouldn't allow anyone from Maine to board a plane. This state is so backwards it isn't funny.



Posted By:kj at April 2, 2008 7:35 AM (Suggest Removal)
Isn't Malaquias an illegal alien? Forget about him costing us more money with a trial and incarceration. Send him back to Brazil.



Posted By:Bob at April 2, 2008 8:35 AM (Suggest Removal)
Massachusett's and New Jersey's loss is our Maine Democratic Party's gain. Fortunately, convicted felons can vote from prison in ME and VT, and make our Democratic Party more diverse and representative. No Peace, No Justice.


Posted By:Bilge Rat at April 2, 2008 11:22 AM (Suggest Removal)
What do you expect from the most corrupt state in the Union? They let tax evaders get away scot free in Rockport while we pick up the difference and the state screams "No money!".



Posted By:graylady at April 2, 2008 11:26 AM (Suggest Removal)
Tax evaders, welfare cheats, overbilling DHHS - time was when Mainers were known for their work ethic and integrity.



Posted By:Susan at April 2, 2008 11:29 AM (Suggest Removal)
This administration is a JOKE, but it's not funny at all. The rest of the nation should be very scared of the tactics the government uses here in Maine or allows. It is surely not geared towards Maine citizens! All BaldArchie cares about, is illegal immigrants for cheap slave-wages, for business's, along with no benefits or Workers Comp. The savings are not passed on to us. They are pocketed or given out as bonus's for the CEO's! We are being being invaded and we will lose Maine as we know it.... It's sad.

http://www.sunjournal.com/story/258970- ... s_license/

Man accused of helping illegals get Maine licenses will stay in jail

BY TREVOR MAXWELL
Blethen Maine Newspapers

04/04/2008

A Massachusetts man, charged with shuttling illegal immigrants into Maine to obtain driver's licenses, will likely remain in jail until his case is resolved.

Guilherme Malaquias, 23, waived his right to a bail hearing at federal court in Portland on Thursday. Malaquias is being held at the Cumberland County Jail.

His court-appointed lawyer, Neal Stillman, said the next step is for Malaquias to decide whether he will plead guilty or proceed to a trial. Stillman spoke with Malaquias before and after the brief court appearance.

Investigators say Malaquias charged $2,000 to help a fellow Brazilian, 19-year-old Marison Celante, get a Maine driver's license on March 20. Law enforcement officials had been tipped off that Malaquias was allegedly bringing illegal immigrants into the state. Police spotted his pickup truck at the Biddeford post office, and a federal immigration agent arrested both men for immigration violations. The initial complaint also charged Malaquias with transporting illegal aliens for gain.

The arrest -- and a similar one of a New Jersey man Feb. 20 in Augusta -- come as legislators in Maine are considering a bill that would require driver's license applicants to prove they are residents of this state. Unlike most states, including Massachusetts, Maine does not require proof of citizenship or residency from applicants.

Celante needed a license and got the cell phone number of a man who could help -- Malaquias -- through his insurance company in Massachusetts, according to the affidavit filed by the arresting agent. The affidavit did not name the company or say how many people have received help from Malaquias.

Ann Dufresne, a spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles, said officials there had not heard about the case.

"We're not aware of any organized effort to direct people to Maine for driver's licenses," Dufresne said.

http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/n ... 34194.html

Mass. man sentenced for license scheme


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By Portland Press Herald Staff Report
June 16, 2008 05:56 PM

Recent Updates
Police log 9:10 PM
I-295 closed, Rt. 201 sees heavier traffic 7:28 PM
Pickup catches fire in Winthrop 6:45 PMA federal judge on Monday sentenced a native of Brazil to five months in prison for bringing illegal immigrants into Maine to obtain driver’s licenses.

Guilherme Malaquias, 23, of Newton, Mass., will be deported back to Brazil following his sentence.

Malaquias previously pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Portland to a charge of transporting illegal aliens for gain.

According to an investigator with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement unit in Portland, Malaquias was accepting payments of $2,000 to drive fellow Brazilians from Massachusetts to Maine, where he would help them get licenses using false documents.

He allegedly obtained a Maine driver’s license in 2006, using a Biddeford post office box for an address. Malaquias was arrested March 20 in Biddeford. His passenger, 19-year-old Marison Celante, told investigators that he hired Malaquias to help him get a license.




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