Tuesday, June 28, 2005

Driver's Licenses for Illegals

Californians overwhelmingly oppose the idea so naturally that means the state legislature will pass the bill.

LOS ANGELES, June 28 /PRNewswire/ -[off the wire, no link]- While a recent Field Poll indicates that Californians overwhelmingly oppose granting driver's licenses to illegal aliens, and representatives of the California Department of Motor Vehicles testified against the bill before the legislature, the Assembly Transportation Committee has endorsed a Senate bill that would do precisely that. S.B. 60, which passed the California Senate earlier this month, is now headed to the full Assembly where it is likely to be approved as well.

The version of S.B. 60 cleared by the Assembly Transportation Committee is a slightly altered version of the one vetoed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger last year. As a concession to the REAL ID Act, signed by President Bush last month, the current version of S.B. creates a license that is valid for all purposes, except as a federally accepted identity document. The California illegal alien driver's license would allow people who are in the country illegally to use their licenses to do everything except board a commercial airliner, or enter a federal building.

"With illegal immigrants costing California an estimated $10.5 billion a year for education, health care and incarceration, most Californians are incredulous that the legislature continues to do everything in its power to encourage more illegal immigration," commented Dan Stein, president of FAIR.


Even the DMV thinks it's a bad idea, and that's incredible. But this is why we elected Ah-nold. He vetoed it once and he better do it again. His approval ratings have been in the tank since he tried to propose changes to the anchor to our budget, hefty state employee pension plans. This ought to help his numbers out a bit.