I came across this letter on the Opinion page of the Fresno Bee. People who believe in entitling lawbreakers to anything amaze me. It makes me wonder if they raise their children with any respect for rules.

They're impounding illegal immigrants' cars in Fresno

Every time I read a story in my favorite newspaper about a DUI checkpoint, I'm amazed at the number of impounded cars that are collected by Fresno police. It's usually three times as many impounds as motorists being arrested for driving while intoxicated. There must be a reason for the disparity, so I called Sgt. Eric Eide, Fresno's traffic enforcement guru.

Here are the facts: On Wednesday night at Palm and Pinedale avenues, nine drivers were arrested on suspicion of DUI during a checkpoint operation in which typically 3,000 cars pass through. There were 29 vehicles impounded because the drivers didn't have valid licenses,

Eide said the reason is simple. . . most of the drivers who did not have licenses were undocumented immigrants. It's a reflection of the region's demographics, Eide said. A smaller number of violators were driving on suspended licenses.

The immigrants were otherwise obeying the law, Eide said. Their children were buckled into car seats. Everyone was wearing seat belts. The drivers weren't drunk or on drugs. They just didn't have drivers licenses because of their immigration status.

Seems to me to be another reason that California should allow illegal immigrants to obtain drivers licenses. We'd all be safer and it sure would be fairer to those whose cars are being impounded. But the public reacts negatively when someone proposes granting drivers licenses to illegal immigrants and the proposal never becomes law.

http://www.fresnobeehive.com/opinion/20 ... ded_c.html