Driver licenses for illegals is pseudo amnesty
Read the Entire article
. . . A driver license is not merely a license to drive a car. It gives the illegal alien a passport to board a plane, get a job, rent an apartment or car, open a bank account, enter a federal building, apply for social services, travel back and forth across our borders with Mexico and Canada, buy a gun and even register to vote.
. . .U.S. Rep. Chris Cox, R-Calif., calls the new law an "invitation to forgery" for terrorists and criminals. That's because the new system, which lacks any credible identity check, will allow criminals of any nationality to apply for a new license under a phony taxpayer ID number and use it for illegal purposes.
. . . When the 2 million illegal aliens now in California line up for their first-time driver licenses, DMV says it will need "1,000 new positions to be located in 16 new temporary field offices for 12 to 18 months of operation."
. . . Davis ignored the big lesson of Sept. 11, 2001. All 9/11 hijackers had one or more state driver licenses, which enabled them not only to board the fatal planes but also to live and travel in the United States undetected while they plotted their crimes.
. . . A driver license is pseudo amnesty and just about as much sheer lunacy as real amnesty; a driver license confers identity, it is almost a national ID card. The driver license works to erase the distinction between legals and illegals.Congress should pass H.R. 3052, authored by Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Col., to withhold federal highway funds from those states that give licenses to illegal aliens, just as Congress has done to force the states to enact acceptable laws about seat belts, speed limits and the drinking age.
. . .
Monday, September 29, 2003
Comment: DNews can't understand it, but a Reader does!
Stop flow of migrants
Jing Lin, the immigrant "Freedom Rider" you quoted in Friday's article, claimed that "the U.S. is supposed to be a place of equality." No denying that, but it's also supposed to be a place of representative democracy, where elected officials serve their constituents, not themselves.
Lawmakers receive millions in contributions from rich businessmen who profit from the dirt-cheap labor of illegal immigrants. Polls repeatedly show that over 70 percent of Americans want illegal immigration stopped and legal immigration reduced. It makes no sense to allow it when we have 9 million unemployed workers and millions more on welfare.
Bringing immigrants here won't fix their mess. It'll just make it our mess, too. This is one Republican voter that Utah's GOP just lost. Why bother electing "undercover Democrats" when we can elect real ones?
Craig Russell
Sandy
Stop flow of migrants
Jing Lin, the immigrant "Freedom Rider" you quoted in Friday's article, claimed that "the U.S. is supposed to be a place of equality." No denying that, but it's also supposed to be a place of representative democracy, where elected officials serve their constituents, not themselves.
Lawmakers receive millions in contributions from rich businessmen who profit from the dirt-cheap labor of illegal immigrants. Polls repeatedly show that over 70 percent of Americans want illegal immigration stopped and legal immigration reduced. It makes no sense to allow it when we have 9 million unemployed workers and millions more on welfare.
Bringing immigrants here won't fix their mess. It'll just make it our mess, too. This is one Republican voter that Utah's GOP just lost. Why bother electing "undercover Democrats" when we can elect real ones?
Craig Russell
Sandy
Making the best of a debacle or - There's too many so we'd better give them MORE
Deseret Morning News editorial, Sep 29,2003
Comment: Deseret News says there's too many illegal aliens, therefore we should just accept them - and pay for their education - and pay for the . . . Why worry it's only the law???!!!!
. . .Many American citizens would like to see the government crack down hard on illegal immigrants and send them packing. The point the Freedom Riders drove home was this: It is now too late to turn back the clock. There are not enough funds, not enough agents and not enough willpower to export or even detain the millions of undocumented workers. At this juncture, all we can control is our attitude toward them and our own future.
. . . Giving a driver's license to an undocumented worker seems patently unfair. But it is also a form of registration that allows officials to monitor foreign nationals who have slipped into the country.
. . . But now must be the time to make the best of it.
Comment: and lay back and enjoy.
Deseret Morning News editorial, Sep 29,2003
Comment: Deseret News says there's too many illegal aliens, therefore we should just accept them - and pay for their education - and pay for the . . . Why worry it's only the law???!!!!
. . .Many American citizens would like to see the government crack down hard on illegal immigrants and send them packing. The point the Freedom Riders drove home was this: It is now too late to turn back the clock. There are not enough funds, not enough agents and not enough willpower to export or even detain the millions of undocumented workers. At this juncture, all we can control is our attitude toward them and our own future.
. . . Giving a driver's license to an undocumented worker seems patently unfair. But it is also a form of registration that allows officials to monitor foreign nationals who have slipped into the country.
. . . But now must be the time to make the best of it.
Comment: and lay back and enjoy.
Friday, September 26, 2003
Idaho County Commissioner Vasquez slams efforts to aid illegal immigrants
Idaho Statesman
September 25, 2003
By Sandra Forester, The Idaho Statesman
Canyon County Commissioner Robert Vasquez on Wednesday issued a searing condemnation of efforts by Idaho's congressional delegation to support legislation to help illegal immigrants.
"I am accusing Larry Craig, Mike Crapo, Butch Otter and Mike Simpson of
collaborating with the unarmed enemy invading America," Vasquez wrote in
a news release issued on his official commissioner stationery. "All for
a vote to stay in office."
Vasquez opposes proposed legislation that would give undocumented
workers the opportunity to earn permanent legal status. Craig and Sen.
Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., are co-sponsoring such a bill.
Vasquez also said he opposes a proposal to allow children of illegal
immigrants to pay in-state tuition at colleges and universities instead
of higher out-of-state tuition.
The legislation would reward those who have broken laws, he said.
. . .
Fellow Commissioner Matt Beebe said while the news release was sent on
Vasquez's commission letterhead, that doesn't mean its tone or contents
represent the entire commission's views.
"I support the concept. I would not have been so aggressive toward our
congressional delegates," Beebe said. "To validate those who come here
illegally tears down the value of our citizenship."
Idaho Statesman
September 25, 2003
By Sandra Forester, The Idaho Statesman
Canyon County Commissioner Robert Vasquez on Wednesday issued a searing condemnation of efforts by Idaho's congressional delegation to support legislation to help illegal immigrants.
"I am accusing Larry Craig, Mike Crapo, Butch Otter and Mike Simpson of
collaborating with the unarmed enemy invading America," Vasquez wrote in
a news release issued on his official commissioner stationery. "All for
a vote to stay in office."
Vasquez opposes proposed legislation that would give undocumented
workers the opportunity to earn permanent legal status. Craig and Sen.
Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., are co-sponsoring such a bill.
Vasquez also said he opposes a proposal to allow children of illegal
immigrants to pay in-state tuition at colleges and universities instead
of higher out-of-state tuition.
The legislation would reward those who have broken laws, he said.
. . .
Fellow Commissioner Matt Beebe said while the news release was sent on
Vasquez's commission letterhead, that doesn't mean its tone or contents
represent the entire commission's views.
"I support the concept. I would not have been so aggressive toward our
congressional delegates," Beebe said. "To validate those who come here
illegally tears down the value of our citizenship."
MORE Ag Jobs INFO
On Tuesday, September 23, 2003, Sen. Edward Kennedy (D.-Mass.), Rep. Howard Berman (D.-Calif.), Sen. Larry Craig (R.-Idaho), Rep. Chris Cannon (R.-Utah), Rep. Ciro Rodriguez (chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus) held a press conference to announce their introduction of legislation containing a compromise among them and between the United Farm Workers of America (AFL-CIO) and major agribusiness employer organizations. The Farm Labor Organizing Committee (AFL-CIO) and many other farmworker advocacy organizations are taking steps to ensure swift passage of this compromise.
The bill's name is THE AGRICULTURAL JOBS, OPPORTUNITY, BENEFITS AND SECURITY ACT OF 2003 (AGJOBS). In the House of Representatives, its number is H.R. 3142. In the Senate, it is S.1645. In the Senate, there were 9 Republicans 10 Democrats as original cosponsors. To download an analysis of the bill (in pdf format, requiring Adobe Acrobat Reader), click here.
Background info Washington Post
August 20, 2001
'Bush Goes Slow on Immigrant Amnesty'
By Dana Milbank
. . ."What the president said the last time I talked to him is we've got to be careful not to overpromise," said Rep. Chris Cannon (R-Utah), who is likely to be Bush's point man on immigration in the House. "This is a system with a lot of resistance. He wants change, but he wants it in an orderly, reasonable fashion."
. . . Cannon said he and the administration would not be content to pass a guest worker program that allows Mexicans to work in the United States temporarily without a legalization component.
. . . Next year would come some intermediate steps. Cannon and others have sought ways to extend student visas and other benefits to children of illegal immigrants who have been in American schools for several years.
. . . Also next year will be another attempt to create a guest-worker program for agricultural workers. The most recent effort was blocked last year by Sen. Phil Gramm (R-Tex.), who favors a restrictive version that would require all guest workers to return home.
. . . Bush aides selected Cannon, a junior member of the immigration subcommittee, over more senior lawmakers such as Gekas and Sensenbrenner because of his pro-immigration leanings, people close to the White House say.
. . . Bush officials said that if he doesn't improve on the 35 percent of the Hispanic vote he received in 2000, he will lose in 2004. "This isn't a thing you have to convince the president of," Cannon said. "He's real predictable on these issues."
On Tuesday, September 23, 2003, Sen. Edward Kennedy (D.-Mass.), Rep. Howard Berman (D.-Calif.), Sen. Larry Craig (R.-Idaho), Rep. Chris Cannon (R.-Utah), Rep. Ciro Rodriguez (chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus) held a press conference to announce their introduction of legislation containing a compromise among them and between the United Farm Workers of America (AFL-CIO) and major agribusiness employer organizations. The Farm Labor Organizing Committee (AFL-CIO) and many other farmworker advocacy organizations are taking steps to ensure swift passage of this compromise.
The bill's name is THE AGRICULTURAL JOBS, OPPORTUNITY, BENEFITS AND SECURITY ACT OF 2003 (AGJOBS). In the House of Representatives, its number is H.R. 3142. In the Senate, it is S.1645. In the Senate, there were 9 Republicans 10 Democrats as original cosponsors. To download an analysis of the bill (in pdf format, requiring Adobe Acrobat Reader), click here.
Background info Washington Post
August 20, 2001
'Bush Goes Slow on Immigrant Amnesty'
By Dana Milbank
. . ."What the president said the last time I talked to him is we've got to be careful not to overpromise," said Rep. Chris Cannon (R-Utah), who is likely to be Bush's point man on immigration in the House. "This is a system with a lot of resistance. He wants change, but he wants it in an orderly, reasonable fashion."
. . . Cannon said he and the administration would not be content to pass a guest worker program that allows Mexicans to work in the United States temporarily without a legalization component.
. . . Next year would come some intermediate steps. Cannon and others have sought ways to extend student visas and other benefits to children of illegal immigrants who have been in American schools for several years.
. . . Also next year will be another attempt to create a guest-worker program for agricultural workers. The most recent effort was blocked last year by Sen. Phil Gramm (R-Tex.), who favors a restrictive version that would require all guest workers to return home.
. . . Bush aides selected Cannon, a junior member of the immigration subcommittee, over more senior lawmakers such as Gekas and Sensenbrenner because of his pro-immigration leanings, people close to the White House say.
. . . Bush officials said that if he doesn't improve on the 35 percent of the Hispanic vote he received in 2000, he will lose in 2004. "This isn't a thing you have to convince the president of," Cannon said. "He's real predictable on these issues."
United Farm Workers Support Cannon's Bill
Support farm workers! E-mail your U.S. senator and representative today and urge support of the new bipartisan legislation for farm worker legalization!
. . .
This bill would (1) create a “legalization” program enabling undocumented farm workers to earn legal immigration if they have been working in the U.S. and continue to work in agriculture for a period of time;
But others oppose:
Support Migrant Farmworkers-- Oppose Craig/Cannon “Guestworker” Proposals
. . . the proposed qualifications for undocumented farmworkers to gain immigration status have been so onerous that few workers would ever prove their eligibility. Without a real legalization program, employers will have a choice of vulnerable job applicants. Some will be exploitable undocumented workers. Others will be “guestworkers,” who, as non-immigrants, lack the freedoms that other workers have, including to choose their employers, and fear the consequences of seeking better job terms or enforcement of labor laws.
. . .
· Undocumented farmworkers should be offered a meaningful path to immigration status and citizenship. The model for this country is, and should be, immigration, not a system of indentured servitude.
Support farm workers! E-mail your U.S. senator and representative today and urge support of the new bipartisan legislation for farm worker legalization!
. . .
This bill would (1) create a “legalization” program enabling undocumented farm workers to earn legal immigration if they have been working in the U.S. and continue to work in agriculture for a period of time;
But others oppose:
Support Migrant Farmworkers-- Oppose Craig/Cannon “Guestworker” Proposals
. . . the proposed qualifications for undocumented farmworkers to gain immigration status have been so onerous that few workers would ever prove their eligibility. Without a real legalization program, employers will have a choice of vulnerable job applicants. Some will be exploitable undocumented workers. Others will be “guestworkers,” who, as non-immigrants, lack the freedoms that other workers have, including to choose their employers, and fear the consequences of seeking better job terms or enforcement of labor laws.
. . .
· Undocumented farmworkers should be offered a meaningful path to immigration status and citizenship. The model for this country is, and should be, immigration, not a system of indentured servitude.
Cannon pushes farm workers bill
By Christopher Smith
Read article at: Salt Lake Tribune
WASHINGTON -- Borrowing a page from Sen. Orrin Hatch, Utah Republican Congressman Chris Cannon has joined forces with Democratic liberal standard-bearer Sen. Edward Kennedy to authorize U.S. farmers to hire immigrants who entered the country illegally.
. . . As a temporary U.S. resident, the farmworker legally could be hired by employers, travel abroad and re-enter the United States. They may also work in nonagriculture jobs, provided the bill's requirements for agriculture employment are met.
. . . The measure has 18 co-sponsors in the Senate and has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is chaired by Hatch, Utah's senior GOP senator. Hatch's periodic odd-couple partnerships with Kennedy on Capitol Hill have produced such landmark federal laws as the Children's Healthcare Insurance Program (CHIP) as well as scattershot criticism from conservatives in Washington and Utah who frown on such coziness.
Comment: this will also insure that Utahns will continue to pay for the education, medical costs and other benefits of children of illegal immigrants. Will MORE benefits stem the tide of illegality or promote more???
By Christopher Smith
Read article at: Salt Lake Tribune
WASHINGTON -- Borrowing a page from Sen. Orrin Hatch, Utah Republican Congressman Chris Cannon has joined forces with Democratic liberal standard-bearer Sen. Edward Kennedy to authorize U.S. farmers to hire immigrants who entered the country illegally.
. . . As a temporary U.S. resident, the farmworker legally could be hired by employers, travel abroad and re-enter the United States. They may also work in nonagriculture jobs, provided the bill's requirements for agriculture employment are met.
. . . The measure has 18 co-sponsors in the Senate and has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is chaired by Hatch, Utah's senior GOP senator. Hatch's periodic odd-couple partnerships with Kennedy on Capitol Hill have produced such landmark federal laws as the Children's Healthcare Insurance Program (CHIP) as well as scattershot criticism from conservatives in Washington and Utah who frown on such coziness.
Comment: this will also insure that Utahns will continue to pay for the education, medical costs and other benefits of children of illegal immigrants. Will MORE benefits stem the tide of illegality or promote more???
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE HOWARD L. BERMAN LAUDS INTRODUCTION
OF CRAIG/KENNEDY/CANNON/BERMAN FARM LABOR LEGISLATION
U.S. Rep. Howard L. Berman (D-CA) today announced the introduction of the Agricultural Jobs, Opportunity, Benefits, and Security Act of 2003, co-authored by Rep. Chris Cannon (R-UT). An identical bill was introduced in the Senate by Senators Larry Craig (R-WY) and Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA).
"I am pleased to join my colleagues in introducing the AGJOBS bill today," said Berman. "This important legislation addresses the harsh reality that the farm workers who plant and harvest the produce that feeds America are the most poorly paid and poorly treated workers in the United States. An intolerable percentage of today's farm labor force is undocumented. Agricultural interests have become dependent upon this cheap and easily exploited work force. Under the provisions of this bill, the growers will have a legalized workforce and they should compete for labor the way other industries do, by improving working conditions and wages to attract and hold an adequate supply of workers."
"Through grueling effort, the United Farm Workers of America and representatives of the agricultural industry . . .
OF CRAIG/KENNEDY/CANNON/BERMAN FARM LABOR LEGISLATION
U.S. Rep. Howard L. Berman (D-CA) today announced the introduction of the Agricultural Jobs, Opportunity, Benefits, and Security Act of 2003, co-authored by Rep. Chris Cannon (R-UT). An identical bill was introduced in the Senate by Senators Larry Craig (R-WY) and Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA).
"I am pleased to join my colleagues in introducing the AGJOBS bill today," said Berman. "This important legislation addresses the harsh reality that the farm workers who plant and harvest the produce that feeds America are the most poorly paid and poorly treated workers in the United States. An intolerable percentage of today's farm labor force is undocumented. Agricultural interests have become dependent upon this cheap and easily exploited work force. Under the provisions of this bill, the growers will have a legalized workforce and they should compete for labor the way other industries do, by improving working conditions and wages to attract and hold an adequate supply of workers."
"Through grueling effort, the United Farm Workers of America and representatives of the agricultural industry . . .
Wednesday, September 17, 2003
In Housing Density, It's Too Close for Comfort
(Comment: Something to look forward to in UTAH)
Los Angeles Times
September 15, 2003
With the most crowded households of any large U.S. city and many of its
dwellings substandard, Santa Ana faces an intractable dilemma: how to
enforce health and safety laws without forcing thousands of residents
onto the street.
Santa Ana's average household size of 4.6 people is, according to the
U.S. census, greater than that of any other U.S. city with a population
of more than 50,000. The average household size in Los Angeles is 2.8;
in New York City, it's 2.6.
* * *
And so the city is caught in the middle of competing tensions. It
attracts poor working families resigned to sharing houses with strangers
and tolerating faulty plumbing and electricity and other deficiencies.
And with diminishing resources, the city tries to enforce codes intended
to protect residents yet which, if strictly enforced, may only worsen
their immediate plight.
In the early 1990s, city officials took a beating from advocates of
immigrants and low-cost housing when they tried to impose occupancy
standards stricter than the state's, which allow 19 people to live in a
950-square-foot home. The city linked density to higher crime,
deteriorated sewers and increased fire hazards.
Indeed, countywide, many renters simply shrug and bear such conditions.
Of the 18,342 complaints received by Orange County's Fair Housing
Council for the year ending June 30, only 9% involved code enforcement
problems. More tenants are concerned about the return of their security
deposits.
Undocumented immigrants fear deportation if they tattle to authorities. Others worry that if they are evicted by landlords for complaining, or
are ordered out by the city, they will not be able to find another place
to live, or can't come up with the deposit.
(Comment: Something to look forward to in UTAH)
Los Angeles Times
September 15, 2003
With the most crowded households of any large U.S. city and many of its
dwellings substandard, Santa Ana faces an intractable dilemma: how to
enforce health and safety laws without forcing thousands of residents
onto the street.
Santa Ana's average household size of 4.6 people is, according to the
U.S. census, greater than that of any other U.S. city with a population
of more than 50,000. The average household size in Los Angeles is 2.8;
in New York City, it's 2.6.
* * *
And so the city is caught in the middle of competing tensions. It
attracts poor working families resigned to sharing houses with strangers
and tolerating faulty plumbing and electricity and other deficiencies.
And with diminishing resources, the city tries to enforce codes intended
to protect residents yet which, if strictly enforced, may only worsen
their immediate plight.
In the early 1990s, city officials took a beating from advocates of
immigrants and low-cost housing when they tried to impose occupancy
standards stricter than the state's, which allow 19 people to live in a
950-square-foot home. The city linked density to higher crime,
deteriorated sewers and increased fire hazards.
Indeed, countywide, many renters simply shrug and bear such conditions.
Of the 18,342 complaints received by Orange County's Fair Housing
Council for the year ending June 30, only 9% involved code enforcement
problems. More tenants are concerned about the return of their security
deposits.
Undocumented immigrants fear deportation if they tattle to authorities. Others worry that if they are evicted by landlords for complaining, or
are ordered out by the city, they will not be able to find another place
to live, or can't come up with the deposit.
UTAH TO ALLOW UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS TO RECEIVE CRIME VICTIMS REPARATION
Beginning this summer, the state of Utah will provide reparations to all crime victims, regardless of their immigration status. This reverses a six-year-old policy of denying such payments to undocumented immigrants. The statute on which such reparations are based does not make any mention of a person’s immigration status. The victim’s reparation board maintains that because the statute does not outline who can receive payments, the board can determine who can receive benefits.
Source
Beginning this summer, the state of Utah will provide reparations to all crime victims, regardless of their immigration status. This reverses a six-year-old policy of denying such payments to undocumented immigrants. The statute on which such reparations are based does not make any mention of a person’s immigration status. The victim’s reparation board maintains that because the statute does not outline who can receive payments, the board can determine who can receive benefits.
Source
Utah Drivers License Requirements:
When you first apply for a Utah driver license, you must provide proof of name, date and place of birth and your social security number. Items on the following lists are generally acceptable as proof. At least one form must be from the list of Primary Forms of Identification.
Certification of Naturalization
Certificate of Citizenship
Delayed Birth Certificate*
Driver License issued in the U.S.
Foreign Birth Certificate with Notarized Translation*
Foreign Passport with VISA stamped of attached
I-94 Card of INS I-551 Card
Indian Blood Certificate
Matricular Consular/ID (issued in Utah only)
Resident Alien Card
U.S. Birth Certificate*
U.S. Certificate of Birth Abroad*
U.S. Passport
U.S. Military ID Card or DD-214
*NOTE: Hospital records/certificates will not be accepted.
When you first apply for a Utah driver license, you must provide proof of name, date and place of birth and your social security number. Items on the following lists are generally acceptable as proof. At least one form must be from the list of Primary Forms of Identification.
Certification of Naturalization
Certificate of Citizenship
Delayed Birth Certificate*
Driver License issued in the U.S.
Foreign Birth Certificate with Notarized Translation*
Foreign Passport with VISA stamped of attached
I-94 Card of INS I-551 Card
Indian Blood Certificate
Matricular Consular/ID (issued in Utah only)
Resident Alien Card
U.S. Birth Certificate*
U.S. Certificate of Birth Abroad*
U.S. Passport
U.S. Military ID Card or DD-214
*NOTE: Hospital records/certificates will not be accepted.
Demonstrators want licenses for illegal immigrants
By CARLOS CAMPOS
Full article at: Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer
A sign-waving, slogan-shouting crowd demanded Tuesday that the state issue driver's licenses to illegal immigrants.
So far, the Georgia Legislature has declined to extend driving privileges to the state's illegal immigrant population, despite several attempts to push such legislation through. But Tuesday's 150 or so demonstrators at the state Capitol were buoyed by a decision this month in California to allow that state's 1 million illegal immigrants to obtain driver's licenses.
* * *
"I think it's important to make a stand for the rule of law," she said. "The driver's license is a gateway document into American society. It's de-facto amnesty."
State Rep. Curt Thompson (D-Norcross), who said his legislative district is 37 percent Hispanic, attended the rally. Thompson said requiring illegal immigrants to provide proof of an address and a fingerprint can help the government keep track of them. Georgia will have to address the issue soon, he said.
By CARLOS CAMPOS
Full article at: Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer
A sign-waving, slogan-shouting crowd demanded Tuesday that the state issue driver's licenses to illegal immigrants.
So far, the Georgia Legislature has declined to extend driving privileges to the state's illegal immigrant population, despite several attempts to push such legislation through. But Tuesday's 150 or so demonstrators at the state Capitol were buoyed by a decision this month in California to allow that state's 1 million illegal immigrants to obtain driver's licenses.
* * *
"I think it's important to make a stand for the rule of law," she said. "The driver's license is a gateway document into American society. It's de-facto amnesty."
State Rep. Curt Thompson (D-Norcross), who said his legislative district is 37 percent Hispanic, attended the rally. Thompson said requiring illegal immigrants to provide proof of an address and a fingerprint can help the government keep track of them. Georgia will have to address the issue soon, he said.
Tuesday, September 16, 2003
Colorado vs. Utah in handling illegals:
Mexican ID cards welcomed in Utah
"Last month Colorado Gov. Bill Owens signed into law a bill to ban state and local governments from recognizing the Mexican identification cards commonly used by immigrants. The ID, called a matricula consular, is issued by Mexican consulates and helps Mexicans obtain drivers' licenses, open bank accounts and enroll themselves or their children in school. . . . Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt, by contrast, fully supports honoring the Mexican ID. He also endorsed the recently implemented policy of permitting undocumented immigrant students to pay in-state tuition at Utah universities.
Owens, for his part, signed another bill banning such a tuition break."
See Entire Article
Mexican ID cards welcomed in Utah
"Last month Colorado Gov. Bill Owens signed into law a bill to ban state and local governments from recognizing the Mexican identification cards commonly used by immigrants. The ID, called a matricula consular, is issued by Mexican consulates and helps Mexicans obtain drivers' licenses, open bank accounts and enroll themselves or their children in school. . . . Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt, by contrast, fully supports honoring the Mexican ID. He also endorsed the recently implemented policy of permitting undocumented immigrant students to pay in-state tuition at Utah universities.
Owens, for his part, signed another bill banning such a tuition break."
See Entire Article
Immigrant students press for lower tuition
Provo Herald
WASHINGTON -- Dozens of immigrant students rallied on Capitol Hill on Thursday, seeking support for legislation that would make it easier to afford college even if the students' parents are in the country illegally.
* * *
"Although these children have built their lives here, they have no possibility of achieving and living the American dream. What a tremendous loss for them and what a tremendous loss to our society," said Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, the sponsor of the Senate version of the bill, speaking to more than 40 students from 20 states who traveled to Washington to push Congress to adopt the bill.
Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, is sponsoring a similar bill in the House. Neither bill has received a committee hearing.
* * *
Other opponents say the legislation would deny citizens spots in colleges, force taxpayers to subsidize the tuition costs of undocumented aliens and encourage illegal immigration by offering the prospect of a college education.
See Entire article
Provo Herald
WASHINGTON -- Dozens of immigrant students rallied on Capitol Hill on Thursday, seeking support for legislation that would make it easier to afford college even if the students' parents are in the country illegally.
* * *
"Although these children have built their lives here, they have no possibility of achieving and living the American dream. What a tremendous loss for them and what a tremendous loss to our society," said Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, the sponsor of the Senate version of the bill, speaking to more than 40 students from 20 states who traveled to Washington to push Congress to adopt the bill.
Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, is sponsoring a similar bill in the House. Neither bill has received a committee hearing.
* * *
Other opponents say the legislation would deny citizens spots in colleges, force taxpayers to subsidize the tuition costs of undocumented aliens and encourage illegal immigration by offering the prospect of a college education.
See Entire article
Trojan Horse
By Steve Brown and Chris Coon
FrontPageMagazine.com | September 16, 2003
Governor Gray Davis has opened a significant breech in the nation's Homeland Security by signing a bill allowing illegal immigrants to obtain Drivers Licenses (DLs) that bear the official seal and full governmental authority of the State of California. Sometimes referred to as the “keys to the kingdom,” DLs provide identification, allowing one to open bank accounts, make certain purchases and obtain a job. DLs also serve as the sole ID needed to travel abroad to Mexico, Canada and some Caribbean countries. They allow easy access to air travel and car rentals. It is a requirement for obtaining a firearm. Through the convenience of the Motor/Voter act, obtaining a DL even grants the right to vote, a fundamental right for which generations of American blood has been shed and the one sacrosanct facet of citizenship. But increasingly, even in the post 9/11 atmosphere of heightened security, states are giving away the keys to our country to those who aren’t even citizens, and are in fact, here illegally.
“How can states be allowing illegal immigrants drivers licenses which are, of course, the keys to the kingdom, the passport to American society,” lone immigration reform crusader U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO) wondered recently. “How many immigration policies are we going to run in this country? Are we going to let every state in the nation create its own immigration policy? Every city create its own?"
“We’ve had the mayor of Washington, D.C., propose essentially that anybody here, any resident, be able to vote regardless of citizenship status,” Tancredo noted. “This is happening in cities all over the country. This is bizarre to say the least.”
A recent FAIR (Federation for American Immigration Reform) report highlights how states are undermining immigration enforcement and throwing the door wide open to terrorist infiltration. Along with Sanctuary policies mandating non-cooperation between local and federal law enforcement, FAIR cites the issuance of DLs to illegals as one of the key breakdowns in homeland security, a conclusion shared by both the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security.
“All 19 of the 9/11 terrorists possessed one or more of state driver’s DLs, which they used to blend in, rent apartments, open bank accounts, and, ultimately, to board the airplanes they intended to crash,” the report notes. “The decision by 13 state legislatures and governors to give driver’s DLs to people in this country illegally—people about whom we know nothing—directly hinders federal efforts to address the homeland security threat.”
Entire article:
By Steve Brown and Chris Coon
FrontPageMagazine.com | September 16, 2003
Governor Gray Davis has opened a significant breech in the nation's Homeland Security by signing a bill allowing illegal immigrants to obtain Drivers Licenses (DLs) that bear the official seal and full governmental authority of the State of California. Sometimes referred to as the “keys to the kingdom,” DLs provide identification, allowing one to open bank accounts, make certain purchases and obtain a job. DLs also serve as the sole ID needed to travel abroad to Mexico, Canada and some Caribbean countries. They allow easy access to air travel and car rentals. It is a requirement for obtaining a firearm. Through the convenience of the Motor/Voter act, obtaining a DL even grants the right to vote, a fundamental right for which generations of American blood has been shed and the one sacrosanct facet of citizenship. But increasingly, even in the post 9/11 atmosphere of heightened security, states are giving away the keys to our country to those who aren’t even citizens, and are in fact, here illegally.
“How can states be allowing illegal immigrants drivers licenses which are, of course, the keys to the kingdom, the passport to American society,” lone immigration reform crusader U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO) wondered recently. “How many immigration policies are we going to run in this country? Are we going to let every state in the nation create its own immigration policy? Every city create its own?"
“We’ve had the mayor of Washington, D.C., propose essentially that anybody here, any resident, be able to vote regardless of citizenship status,” Tancredo noted. “This is happening in cities all over the country. This is bizarre to say the least.”
A recent FAIR (Federation for American Immigration Reform) report highlights how states are undermining immigration enforcement and throwing the door wide open to terrorist infiltration. Along with Sanctuary policies mandating non-cooperation between local and federal law enforcement, FAIR cites the issuance of DLs to illegals as one of the key breakdowns in homeland security, a conclusion shared by both the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security.
“All 19 of the 9/11 terrorists possessed one or more of state driver’s DLs, which they used to blend in, rent apartments, open bank accounts, and, ultimately, to board the airplanes they intended to crash,” the report notes. “The decision by 13 state legislatures and governors to give driver’s DLs to people in this country illegally—people about whom we know nothing—directly hinders federal efforts to address the homeland security threat.”
Entire article:
Friday, September 12, 2003
Part one: Immigration strategy shifts
Rocky Mountain News
September 2, 2003
* * *
Immigration agents have virtually stopped punishing employers of illegal workers. Instead, they are arresting immigrants coming out of jails, packed into smugglers' vans or working at potential terrorist targets.
Immigration officials won't say how many agents left for workplace investigations, citing security. But in the three-state Denver region - Colorado, Wyoming and Utah - there were only five even before 9-11.
* * *
In March, the INS was split in two. Agents who processed legal immigrants' paperwork went to the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services. Enforcement agents ended up in the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, commonly called ICE. Both were moved to the new Department of Homeland Security.
Locally, ICE agents said arrests of people in the country illegally have soared in the past four years, from 920 to 12,183, in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming alone. They attribute the increase, in part, to the addition of Quick Response Teams in five cities to pick up smuggled foreigners caught on the highways.
Rocky Mountain News
September 2, 2003
* * *
Immigration agents have virtually stopped punishing employers of illegal workers. Instead, they are arresting immigrants coming out of jails, packed into smugglers' vans or working at potential terrorist targets.
Immigration officials won't say how many agents left for workplace investigations, citing security. But in the three-state Denver region - Colorado, Wyoming and Utah - there were only five even before 9-11.
* * *
In March, the INS was split in two. Agents who processed legal immigrants' paperwork went to the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services. Enforcement agents ended up in the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, commonly called ICE. Both were moved to the new Department of Homeland Security.
Locally, ICE agents said arrests of people in the country illegally have soared in the past four years, from 920 to 12,183, in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming alone. They attribute the increase, in part, to the addition of Quick Response Teams in five cities to pick up smuggled foreigners caught on the highways.
California Licensing Law Produces GOP Rage in Washington
(CNSNews.com) - Political opposition to the practice of handing out driver's licenses to illegal immigrants is growing in Washington, especially in light of a new law signed by California Democratic Gov. Gray Davis on Sept. 5.
Wednesday, less than a week after signing the law granting illegal immigrants in the nation's largest state the ability to obtain driver's licenses, Davis received a letter from all 19 Republicans representing California in the U.S. House condemning the action.
* * *
According to the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), 14 states currently allow illegal aliens to obtain driver's licenses: Alaska, Connecticut, Idaho, Louisiana, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Washington and West Virginia.
"If states allow illegal aliens to have valid drivers' licenses, then they're giving them the keys to the kingdom and endangering the lives of millions of innocent American families. Withholding highway funds is an effective tool to coerce the states into taking action on issues that directly affect the public safety," Dave Ray, FAIR spokesperson, told CNSNews.com.
Entire article
(CNSNews.com) - Political opposition to the practice of handing out driver's licenses to illegal immigrants is growing in Washington, especially in light of a new law signed by California Democratic Gov. Gray Davis on Sept. 5.
Wednesday, less than a week after signing the law granting illegal immigrants in the nation's largest state the ability to obtain driver's licenses, Davis received a letter from all 19 Republicans representing California in the U.S. House condemning the action.
* * *
According to the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), 14 states currently allow illegal aliens to obtain driver's licenses: Alaska, Connecticut, Idaho, Louisiana, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Washington and West Virginia.
"If states allow illegal aliens to have valid drivers' licenses, then they're giving them the keys to the kingdom and endangering the lives of millions of innocent American families. Withholding highway funds is an effective tool to coerce the states into taking action on issues that directly affect the public safety," Dave Ray, FAIR spokesperson, told CNSNews.com.
Entire article
Monday, September 08, 2003
ITIN, Licenses and DREAM act
Washington Times
Six states — Kansas, Kentucky, New Mexico, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Utah — accept the ITIN card as proper identification for a driver's license.
... Many youngsters find themselves caught in a Catch-22 situation," the
Utah ... As illegal ... The Development, Relief and Education for Alien
Minors (DREAM) Act would ...
Currently, eight states have passed laws granting in-state tuition benefits to illegal immigrants — Texas, Utah, California, New York, Washington, Illinois, New Mexico and Oklahoma — skirting the 1996 federal ban by using criteria other than residency. Nine other states are considering extending the benefit.
See Entire Article
Washington Times
Six states — Kansas, Kentucky, New Mexico, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Utah — accept the ITIN card as proper identification for a driver's license.
... Many youngsters find themselves caught in a Catch-22 situation," the
Utah ... As illegal ... The Development, Relief and Education for Alien
Minors (DREAM) Act would ...
Currently, eight states have passed laws granting in-state tuition benefits to illegal immigrants — Texas, Utah, California, New York, Washington, Illinois, New Mexico and Oklahoma — skirting the 1996 federal ban by using criteria other than residency. Nine other states are considering extending the benefit.
See Entire Article
Saturday, September 06, 2003
Too Many Visas for Techies?
Programs that favor high-skilled workers from overseas at the expense of Americans are coming under scrutiny
Bob Simoni has been fuming ever since Toshiba America (TOSBF ) replaced him last year with a foreign worker. Simoni recently found a short-term gig, but he wants Congress to do something about the H1B visa program that allows companies to bring in skilled foreign workers. The 39-year-old software engineer says he lost his job to such a person, in his case an Indian. Toshiba says the outsourcing of jobs "enables us to be more efficient." But to add insult to injury, says Simoni, Toshiba asked him to train his replacement: "I never thought this could happen in my field."
A battle is brewing over foreign professionals in America. On one side are people like Simoni, who say visas created for specialized workers such as the H1B and the L1 -- granted to foreign employees transferred to U.S. operations -- are being used to bring in rank-and-filers on the cheap. On the other side are multinationals and such groups as the American Electronics Assn. in Washington. They argue that strangling the visa program could undermine U.S. competitiveness and prompt American employers to send more jobs overseas. Says AEA President William T. Archey: "We still want to have access to the best talent."
See Entire Article
Programs that favor high-skilled workers from overseas at the expense of Americans are coming under scrutiny
Bob Simoni has been fuming ever since Toshiba America (TOSBF ) replaced him last year with a foreign worker. Simoni recently found a short-term gig, but he wants Congress to do something about the H1B visa program that allows companies to bring in skilled foreign workers. The 39-year-old software engineer says he lost his job to such a person, in his case an Indian. Toshiba says the outsourcing of jobs "enables us to be more efficient." But to add insult to injury, says Simoni, Toshiba asked him to train his replacement: "I never thought this could happen in my field."
A battle is brewing over foreign professionals in America. On one side are people like Simoni, who say visas created for specialized workers such as the H1B and the L1 -- granted to foreign employees transferred to U.S. operations -- are being used to bring in rank-and-filers on the cheap. On the other side are multinationals and such groups as the American Electronics Assn. in Washington. They argue that strangling the visa program could undermine U.S. competitiveness and prompt American employers to send more jobs overseas. Says AEA President William T. Archey: "We still want to have access to the best talent."
See Entire Article
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