Legal Illegals
If you can't beat 'em, join 'em—or let them
join you. That's the message that de facto lame
duck governor Gray Davis and his Democrat cronies
in the California state legislature have sent to
the residents of California and the rest of the
nation. Last Friday, Davis
signed AB 60 into law, giving illegal
immigrants the right to obtain a California
driver's license. Seen by many as a thinly veiled
attempt to grab the Latino vote in next month's
recall election, it seems to me more like political
suicide. As if voters needed yet another reason to
give the governor the boot, now he has legitimized
the thousands of illegal aliens already overrunning
the state. Someone from another country can now
cross into the state illegally, obtain a driver's
license legally, and use the ID to buy a gun or
explosives or apply for a job in a secure area,
such as at a nuclear power plant. The only
documentation that an illegal immigrant needs to
get a driver's license in California after January
1 of next year is a taxpayer ID number (easily
obtainable from the IRS) and one of several other
documents, such as a birth certificate, foreign
driver's license, foreign passport or a
matricula consular ID card (issued by the
Mexican consulate to any Mexican national,
whether here legally or illegally). Proof of legal
residence will not be necessary to obtain a
driver's license.
Proponents of this new law rationalized its
necessity by claiming it would make California's
roads safer. Thousands of illegal immigrants drive
without a license or insurance every day, so giving
them a driver's license will enable them to get
driver's training and purchase insurance. This is
the same logic which argues for giving free needles
to heroin addicts and condoms to children. They're
already doing it, so we might as well make it safer
for them. But when did we stop taking a stand for
what's right? If we've given up entirely, then I
suppose it makes sense to make wrongdoing as safe
as possible for those doing wrong, in order to
protect the rest of us. But I don't think most
Californians have given up yet, so Davis and the
California legislature—who are supposed to
represent the residents of this state—should
have enacted legislation to stem the heavy flow of
illegal immigration, rather than create laws to
facilitate it. What's next? Gun permits for
criminals who own illegal handguns?
In a post-9/11 world, the passage of this new
law takes on an even grimmer tone. After January 1
of next year, it will be easier than ever for a
terrorist to obtain a valid California ID. Showing
your ID when you board a plane will be a
meaningless gesture. California driver's licenses
will be no more secure as a form of identification
than a Star Trek fan club membership card. Security
in our increasingly insecure world will either be
compromised, or passports will be necessary to
travel domestically as well as internationally.
Either way, SB 60 makes little sense. As Rep. Elton
Gallegly (R-Calif.) commented, "The bottom line is,
the only people that need this are people that have
no legal right to be here to begin with."
For me, this new law further illustrates how
completely out of touch politicians are with their
constituents (not to mention reality). These days,
legislation is made more often for political gain
or personal agendas than for the good of the people
who elected legislators. I haven't made up my mind
who should replace Davis in the state capitol, but
California needs a change like never before.
©2003 Michael
Strickland ALL RIGHTS
RESERVED
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