California to join growing list of states giving driver licenses to immigrants here illegally

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

California to join growing list of states giving driver licenses to immigrants here illegally
By The Associated Press
October 3, 2013 1:02 AM

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Gov. Jerry Brown is expected to sign a bill Thursday adding California to the growing list of states allowing immigrants in the country illegally to obtain driver licenses.

Immigrant advocates have long lobbied for the change in the nation's most populous state so immigrants can drive without fearing being pulled over for a ticket, which could wind up getting them deported.

"This is really a historic day for California," said Marielena Hincapie, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center. "This is really simply about driving and ultimately about being able to engage in everyday activities that every American does."

Over the last two decades, immigrant advocates have pushed to get licenses restored in California. The effort took on new significance in recent years as immigrants caught driving without a license began seeing their cars impounded and wound up being screened by federal immigration authorities for deportation.



Read more: http://www.canada.com/news/California+join+growing+list+states+giving+driver+licenses/8990406/story.html

[Warpy]

1. Good, it's worked really well here in NM

Undocumented workers here would really prefer to register their cars, pass the driving test, and insure themselves. They're not stupid, just desperately poor.

Crashes involving uninsured drivers have gone down.

[DURHAM D]

2. Whoever wrote that headline needs to go back to school.

and good for CA

[Comrade Grumpy]

3. I live in California. I want drivers to be licensed and insured. This is good policy.

[jollyreaper2112]

4. Is this really the issue?

Maybe this might be a bandaid but I think the bigger issue is with illegal employers, not illegal workers.

These guys are coming in to do jobs Americans can't afford to do for such low pay and their illegal status means they don't have a leg to stand on in negotiations. Their employers see this as a feature, not a bug.

If we want them treated fair, we should allow them to become citizens and immigrate properly.

I have always maintained that illegal workers are the victims, illegal employers are the criminals. Put the owners in jail.

[Niceguy1]

5. sad thing is that the

#1 Exploiter of illegal immigrants are legal immigrants or citizens of the same race.... I have seen it time and time again.

[bitchkitty]

7. In your experience maybe.

I was married to an immigrant, and have known many illegal immigrants, and I have never seen what you describe. In what industry? And what state? I lived in Georgia, and refer to the construction industry. The builders that employed my husband and his friends were invariably white. They did pay a decent wage but benefits were zero.

I don't doubt that there are some immigrants who exploit others, but please don't generalize.

[LanternWaste]

9. There is a verified source for your premise, or is it merely an opinion?

There is a verified source for your premise, or is it merely an opinion?

[Sunlei]

12. I beg to differ. #1 exploiters of undocumented persons are those who employ them.

[Niceguy1]

14. and in the state where I live

That employer is ofter a minority...such as farm.labor contractor, lawn service, bakeries and even construction.

I know that the popular belief is that it is the evil white person but that isn't necessarily truce. And one of the biggest abusers are the coyotes..the juman trafficers who guidebyoj accross the border.

[Sunlei]

15. well I wasn't considering nannies, maids and lawnmen. factory farms, large, hundreds of workers

[Niceguy1]

18. nannies and maids

Are few compared to the rest. Usually to work for white people you have to have fake papers or do so as a business such as lawn care ehere the customer is not obligated to check. When it is a minority owner they often don't ask and pay accordingly as they know your options are limited.

[Sunlei]

19. 'employer' of undocumented people take advantage of undocumented especially large corps.

It doesn't matter the RACE of the employer. Here is a current Frontline about what undocumented persons have to put up with on Corp. farms and factory farms in America. Well worth a watch.

June 25, 2013

Rape in the fields.


http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/rape-in-the-fields/

[Niceguy1]

20. they are working for farm labor contractors

Who are of their own race...... not directly for farmers. The contractor makes the deal with the farmers. And the contractor sets the rate for their workers... and often cheats them and evem charges them for transportation.

[Comrade Grumpy]

21. What's your point? Employers exploit undocumented workers. Race has little to do with it.

[Niceguy1]

22. oh yes it does

People like to deal with their own race.. piasanos... and many assume it is the white person who is exploiting when it usually isn't.

[LanternWaste]

24. Your statements certainly do not seem accurate at all...

You'll supply us numbers with objective numbers which verify your allegations, yes?

Because, as an inhabitant of Texas (2nd largest Latino population), your statements certainly do not seem accurate at all...

[Niceguy1]

25. hhmm, I had numerous inlaws

, copadres, cousin inlaws most of which dont have papers..and they talked about their struggles often.

[LanternWaste]

26. Your allegations are based simply anecdotal experience, then?

Your allegations are based simply on anecdotal experience, then?

Because the vast majority of my friends, cousins, co-workers and in-laws, regardless of immigration status would disagree.

I'm quite certain you realize that mere personal observations rarely, if ever, allow us an accurate and collective status of any one demographic.

[Niceguy1]

27. execpt

For when it is used to bash white people, then it is ok. And it wss their general obsevations as a group.

[LanternWaste]

28. I don't recall making that exception, nor any other exception in this thread.

I don't recall making that exception, nor any other exception in this thread.

You may be referring another personal, anecdotal experience of yours that you again allege...?

[Niceguy1]

29. it is the common

Talking point.........

Such memes arw found here every day.

[LanternWaste]

30. I apologize... I was mistaken in initially believing your statements were

"Such memes arw found here every day..."

Much as unsupported allegations are...

I apologize... I was mistaken in initially believing your statements were predicated on cited sources, numbers, and objective analysis rather than personal bias. And, as it seems to be little more than unsupported allegations, I'd imagine you are simply wasting your in-depth, unsupported and rather talented editorials on me.

Good luck!

[Niceguy1]

31. this is sn internet

Forum...not a term paper.

Most of what you read here aren't facts backed up with citations...........

[hunter]

44. Further along in this subthread you say "race..." WTF? We're all human.

The large farm corporations, predominantly owned by wealthy white families, explicitly set up recent immigrants as "contractors" knowing full well these "contractors" will hire many undocumented workers. They do this to insulate themselves from legal action.

It's exactly the same sort of crap that went on in the slave states. Many of the cruelest slave bosses were slaves themselves who were given extra privilege by the slave owners. Many of the white slave bosses were essentially slaves too, held in place by "debts" they couldn't repay.

[yuiyoshida]

6. So proud of my State...

and its almost like flipping the Bird at Teabaggers, isn't it?

[Mellow Drama]

8. Just in time for our massive "Drive the Vote" campaign!

We are getting a bunch of volunteers to register newly-licensed drivers to vote at every DMV in the state. We will be getting names and phone numbers, and once the early voter occur we will visit them with Spanish-language progressive voter lists and instruct them how to obtain the ballots. This way we KNOW that we will be getting a lot more democratic progressives in place!

EDIT: Yes, we will be doing what we can to ensure they can legally vote, but the focus is on whether they understand the process and to assist them with this process.

[Sunlei]

11. I am asked to register to vote on the form, every time I renew my license. online or in person.

what state are you in? I'll check the forms for you.

[MikeW]

16. you realize

This article is about illegal immigrants.

You also realize it is illegal for them to vote unless they are citizens.

[Mellow Drama]

34. They may have legal family members like adult children

The point is that we need to expand the opportunities for voting that the republican party has traditionally suppressed for that segment of the population.

[MikeW]

38. your point doesnt matter at all they would still not be allowed to vote legally

What you are suggesting is voter fraud!!

[Mellow Drama]

41. If the voters are legal, then it is NOT voter fraud!

I don't understand your logic.

[MikeW]

42. ok slowly

The article says "California to join growing list of states giving driver licenses to immigrants here illegally"

They are here illegally ... which means they ARE NOT US CITIZENS !!!! ONLY US CITIZENS CAN VOTE LEGALLY GET IT!?

Knowingly registering illegal non-US citizens to vote is ... wait for it ... VOTER FRAUD!!

You break the law and SO DO THEY when they VOTE!!!

[moriah]

43. "They may have legal family members like adult children"

In other words, the goal is not to register illegal voters, but to speak to illegals about voting and make sure their legally present, US citizen relatives are registered.

That's not voter fraud.

Chill out, dude. Do you live in a medical MJ state? You could use some.

[yuiyoshida]

17. At the DMV?

Every time I have gone to the DMV its been crowded with people waiting in line. Isn't that going to add to the congestion? I vote by mail. The first year Obama was running, I took my ballot down to city hall and handed it to someone in the Voters office, because I wanted to make sure my vote was counted. I know sometimes people will mess with ballots in mailboxes. One year they found a mailbox on fire..I sure the FBI was on that case.

[Mellow Drama]

35. Since we aren't in line, and only dealing with people outside the building, it isn't congestive

And we are finding that people appreciate our presence. Of course, we have to be cool about everything, but most of the people are open to our presentation, and especially the fact that we are helping them become empowered.

[yuiyoshida]

36. oh awesome...

I have spent days signing people up to vote while being out in the sunshine, it was a lot of fun, and I met a lot of cool people.

[Sunlei]

10. I want drivers to be licensed and insured. This is much safer for everyone on the roads.

[KamaAina]

13. Good! Now they can get insurance.

Plus, cops in one-percenter lily-white towns won't have an excuse to stop people for Driving While Brown, trolling for people driving without a license.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023423378

[Niceguy1]

23. and hopefully

The accident rate will go down....unlicensed drivers a a huge porportion of accidents....especially hit amd runs..los angeles has a hot and run epidemic going on.

[KamaAina]

33. Get a load of the comments here

http://www.mercurynews.com/politics-government/ci_24234103/gov-jerry-brown-signs-law-allowing-illegal-immigrants

See if you can figure out which one is me.

[Bay Boy]

37. How does the immigrant do this?

What papers do they show the DMV?

[underpants]

39. I would guess proof of residency

A power bill etc

[Bay Boy]

40. I would hope something more substantial than that...

...it would seem it would be easy to use an alias that way