Licenses for lawbreakers (illegal immigrants) -- the sequel (California)

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | June 6, 2004 | Debra J. Saunders

[FairOpinion]

FORGET THE HYPE and the threats and the rumors about a deal brewing in Sacramento. California is not going to enact a bill to allow illegal immigrants to apply for driver's licenses this year or anytime soon.

SB60 author Sen. Gil Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, proclaimed that the Legislature's about-face was a good thing because the new governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, had agreed to work with him on a bill this year that would be more acceptable to voters.

Did Cedillo actually believe that? At the time, I figured that Cedillo and his supporters were running away from the bill in order to save their own sorry political skins -- and that they had to know that Schwarzenegger, no fool, would not sign on to such an unpopular measure. They just pretended to believe there was a deal to save face.

[DumpsterDiver]

But if the illegals carried a card showing their status, it would be a very good step,

Not unless you deport them after they get their cards! :) Here's my problem with all of this:

These programs for illegals and the ensuing debates about them should not even exist. For me it begins with the question, "Are you here legally"? If the answer is no, then that is as far as it should go. The next step should be a deportation hearing.

Giving an illegal alien a congratulatory pat on the back and a license (or anything else) just opens another can of worms.

The simplest and fairest solution is deportation, not these endless damn debates over how many goodies an illegal should get and how they should be doled out. Doing otherwise just prolongs the agony.

Can you tell how frustrating I find this? Sometimes I want to run down the street screaming like a banshee!

[WilliamofCarmichael]

RE: "Giving an illegal alien a congratulatory pat on the back and a license (or anything else) just opens another can of worms."

I remember the 1986 amnesty. It was suppose to end the problem of ILLEGAL immigration. Now here we go again "Giving an illegal alien a congratulatory pat on the back."

Meanwhile the corrupt Mexican government continues with its meddling in our internal affairs at all levels of our government treating their citizens exactly what they are: first and foremost citizens of Mexico, loyal to Mexico, looking out for Mexico, voting for and campaigning for candidates who will do Mexico's bidding here in the sovereign United States of America.

We've gone from "Hell No! No licenses for ILLEGALS!" to "What color should the licenses be?"

[KC_for_Freedom]

Can you tell how frustrating I find this? Sometimes I want to run down the street screaming like a banshee!

Yes, and I share your feelings, (my post was sarcasm). I liked and still like prop 187. The deny services and report them initiative that was stolen by Judge Felser.(sp). The people should have a mechanism to address this situation where all legislature critters seem to think we need more poor people in this country, to pick one (a) save social security, (b) pick fruit and such for low salaries, or basically (c) to be a group of needy people that social workers and the politically correct can play with.

My basic problem is that these illegals just jumpped the immigration line ahead of all their relatives. Once here they will qualify to bring their relatives. I doubt we will deport them in large numbers, but it would be fair to do so. An alternate approach is to arrange the rule of law in Mexico so that they are forced to honor contracts with US citizens. (As it stands now, they can take them or leave them.) If contracts to buy land for example were allowed, we could do to them what they are doing to us. And in no time at all, there would be resorts, and businesses in Mexico under US control. This would quickly change the climate there and create large numbers of jobs for mexicans who would then stay in their own country.