http://www.beloitdailynews.com/articles/2005/02/16/editorials/edit01.txtEDITORIAL: Requiring proof for state licenses
Posted: Wednesday, Feb 16, 2005 - 11:31:36 am CST
The only real question is why it has taken so long to get serious about proper identification. WHEN 19 MEN hijacked the planes which crashed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a Pennsylvania field, they had 63 valid U.S. driver's licenses between them.
State Rep. Mark Gundrum, R-New Berlin, wants to make sure a Wisconsin license isn't found on the next terrorist to attack America. He has proposed a bill that would require immigrants to prove they are here legally before obtaining a Wisconsin license. And once that verification was made, any license issued would expire on the same date as the person's visa.
Another Wisconsin politician, Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner, is pressing ahead with federal legislation to force states - Wisconsin is one of 10 - which do not require proof to begin doing so.
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Okay. I'm no expert on immigration law, but I know these two proposals will either have a null effect or serve only to inconvenience those legally immigrating.
First of all, we honor the drivers licenses of some countries here. Then there's this thing called an international drivers license that will let you drive anywhere in the US. Why on earth would these people even apply for a state issued drivers license?
I have been friends with a family who immigrated here from Europe over 10 years ago. For several years, they had to drive on their Belgian licenses because the state of Wisconsin required SS#'s to get a drivers license here. On the rare occasions they got stopped by cop for a violation, they just pretended to speak no English and showed their foreign license. The cop, thinking they were tourists and knowing that even if they issued a ticket to a foreigner, they would not likely see the money from the fine, usually did nothing and sent them on their way. How effective was that on crime control? If they had a Wisconsin license, the state would at least have been able to keep track of them and issued citations for which they could have collected fines.
Additionally, during the process to attain permanent residency, their visas expired quite frequently - every year to two years depending on the extensions they could negotiate or the type of visa they could get. So that means the state would have to issue new licenses to these foreigners who are legally here every one to two years. And this doesn't take into account the burden of the resident alien in having to continually re-up the thing and pay the fees.
And lastly, if someone is here illegally with evil intentions, will they really have any qualms about breaking other laws. Why would they even bother with a drivers license if it gets to be too big of a pain to acquire? I suppose it could be argued that possession of a DL might have lent some credibility to these people in other activities. :shrug: It just seems odd that I can get by most of the time without ever having to extract my DL from my wallet. Why would it be any different for hijackers?
I'm not here pretending to know a better system. But I sure can spot a crappy idea when I see it. It really kind of seems like a non-issue to me. Do these Republicans have nothing better to do than harrass foreigners who are here legally? I mean, come on, we have a nearly $500M deficit and a $7+T debt load, millions without health insurance, a war, and we're throwing stones at Korea and Iran. And all our state puke representatives can do is point fingers at immigrants and shout "be afraid."
Focus, people, focus.
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