Steve Brown, CNSNews.com
Saturday, Sept. 13, 2003

Wednesday, less than a week after signing the law, Davis received a letter from all 19 Republicans representing California in the U.S. House condemning the action.

The new law is an "invitation to forgery" for terrorists and criminals alike, Rep. Christopher Cox said, especially because illegal aliens won't even have to present a Social Security number to obtain a license.

In addition, although it is a crime for non-citizens to vote, illegal aliens will be able to vote by showing a state driver's license.

"Under this legislation, California's process will resemble that of Virginia's during the period in which seven of the Sept. 11 terrorists obtained fraudulent licenses from the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles," Cox said in a news release. Until recently, Virginia did not require applicants for driver's licenses to show verifiable proof of identity.

"It is alarming that Gov. Davis has ignored the lessons that we learned from Sept. 11, 2001. It is especially cruel that he has signed this bill into law [near] the two-year anniversary of the war on terrorism," Cox added.

Hmm, Why Did He Change His Mind Now?

The letter by the 19 members of Congress calls on Davis to rescind the law, noting that the governor had vetoed similar legislation twice before signing it this year.

Remarking on the similarities of the new law signed by Davis and the Virginia "loophole" used by the seven Sept. 11 terrorists, the letter went on point out that Virginia laws now require "proof of identity that can be verified," while the California legislation is moving in the "opposite" direction.

"This legislation will almost certainly make it more difficult for our delegation to defend California's needs in programs like the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program. Such funding may be viewed as superfluous if the state makes no effort to ascertain the immigration status of those who drive on its roads," the letter stated.

Thinking along similar lines, U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., introduced H.R. 3052 late Tuesday. The State Accountability and Identity Fraud Elimination Act of 2004 would withhold federal highway funds from states that pass laws allowing illegal aliens to have driver's licenses.

"A driver's license can become a 'breeder document' for other documents for establishing false identities and gaining access to social services and voter registration," Tancredo stated in a release. "It allows you to board airplanes and is basically a domestic passport. Deliberately giving this domestic passport to several million illegal aliens is an act of incredible stupidity and callousness. Political expediency has reached a new low in California," Tancredo added.

According to Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), 14 states 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.

'Endangering Lives'

"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, a spokesman for FAIR, told CNSNews.com.

"It worked years ago in nudging the states to raise their drinking age to 21," Ray said, "and it will work today to urge states to keep illegal aliens and would-be terrorists from getting a driver's license."

Asa Hutchinson, undersecretary for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, said the California law could lead to new federal policies regulating entry into the country by citizens and foreigners.

"Certainly, we need to review the policy of our inspectors at the border and their reliance upon driver's licenses," Hutchinson said. "If driver's licenses are given to people who are illegally in the country, then that puts an extra burden and difficulty on our inspectors at the border."

A Field Poll on Wednesday showed that 59 percent of 649 registered California voters disapproved of the new law, while 34 percent approved. However, as reported in the Sacramento Bee, 52 percent of Democrats said they favored giving driver's licenses to illegal aliens. Eleven percent of Republicans approved.

California state Sen. Gil Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, who did not return calls to CNSNews.com, was quoted by the Bee disputing the poll results, saying the question as presented was "loaded." Cedillo asserted that the law would provide more safety through increased driver training and the insuring of drivers.

"Here's the question that needs to be asked of California voters: Do you want safer highways and lower premiums? If that question is asked, I think the people of California are going to support the bill," Cedillo was quoted as saying.

Republicans in the California Assembly this week began trying to get the driver's license controversy on the state ballot as a referendum in March 2004. The measure has 90 days from Monday, when it was signed, to garner 373,816 signatures from registered voters to make it on the ballot.

Copyright CNSNews.com

Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:

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War on Terrorism

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