Another great idea from those who continue to shove the ILLEGAL immigrant agenda down our throats. Of course, with our current Governor and Legislature, this has a realistic chance of passing. Of course, I would argue that, when the people show up for their certificates, INS should be right there waiting for them. Remember, calling them UNDOCUMENTED residents is like calling a drug dealer an UNLICENSED PHARMACIST. My comments in italics/bold:
A coalition of groups has stepped up its effort to convince Gov. Jim Doyle to allow illegal immigrants to obtain certificates that would allow them to drive and get car insurance. About 20 members of the Wisconsin Coalition for Safe Roads went to Madison Friday to deliver 2,735 signed postcards asking the governor to make the change in his new budget. "We call on Gov. Doyle to not fund the REAL ID Act, which is a federal unfunded mandate that would cost the state an estimated $22 million, and instead allow certificates to be issued to ensure public safety on our roads," said Christine Neumann-Ortiz, director of Voces de la Frontera, a member of the coalition. "We're not talking about criminals here, but working people who need to drive to New Berlin and Mequon to clean buildings, or take a family member to the hospital and to do so safely and with insurance," said Tony Baez, president and CEO of the Council for the Spanish Speaking, another coalition member. - Oh, please, there are many people who drive to their jobs and are LEGAL residents, but do not carry insurance. Are we to really expect that ILLEGAL residents, who do not respect the laws of the land and are here ILLEGALLY, will go out and get insurance? I do love how the supporters are now using the "safety" angle. When all else fails, play the fear card.
Because illegal immigrants can't get Wisconsin driver's licenses, scam artists try to sell so-called international drivers' licenses to low income families, Neumann-Ortiz said. - So high income ILLEGAL immigrants do not buy these international licenses?
Congress passed the REAL ID Act in 2005. It requires all states to check a person's immigration status before issuing a driver's license or state ID. Only drivers who are citizens or have legal status can qualify. In response, Wisconsin passed a law in 2006 that required proof of citizenship or legal status, including a Social Security number, to get a driver's license. The REAL ID does allow states to issue a driver's license certificate to residents without Social Security numbers. - And what is wrong with the REAL ID concept? What is wrong with checking a person's status to make sure they are not here ILLEGALLY?
The certificate could not be used as federal identification for boarding an airplane or entering a federal building. Since 2005, more than 40 states have considered legislation that either opposed REAL ID or urged Congress to amend or repeal it, said Ortiz. Some states, like Utah and Tennessee have enacted driver's certificates, said Neumann-Ortiz.
