Driver's Licenses for Illegal's?

Update June 2004

After meeting with Democrats, in what some called secret meetings, about California Drivers' Licenses for illegal aliens or non-documented workers, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is not ready to move forward with legal licenses for illegal aliens.

The Governor wants the drivers' licenses for the illegal aliens to be a separated color so that it is clear that the license is to be used only for driving and not for legal identification, voting or etc. Gov. Schwarzenegger also wants to illegal aliens to pay for a criminal background check, which could be about $148 some dollars.� This amount would be on top of the fee for the license and the driver's test.

These are only proposals, but it has been made clear that the governor would not sign a license bill without these requirements.

The Democrats is opposition to the Governor's new proposals say that requiring illegal aliens or undocumented workers to have a different color California Driver's License it would be just like what the Nazi's did to the Jews when they required them to wear Jewish Stars in Germany.� Some Democrats oppose the requirement that the illegal aliens pay for the security check on top of the license fee.� State officials estimate it will cost about $60-million dollars to issue about two-million driver's licenses to the illegal aliens, this does not count the cost of the security and criminal background check.�����

UPDATE as of March 2004.

Calif. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is having secret meetings with the legislators who introduced the original California law that would permit illegal aliens (workers without papers) or anyone without identification to get a legal California drivers' license. Gov. Schwarzenegger who wiped out the original law is now trying to find a way to give illegal aliens some type of drivers' license so they can legally drive vehicles in California.� When he ran for office in the recall election he was totally against drivers' licenses for illegal aliens but apparently he has changed his mind.�� It has been reported that he has said "we have to find a legal way we can give drivers' licenses to this large group of workers so they can drive vehicles legally."� Reporters have been excluded from the secret meetings.

UPDATE December 2003:

The California Legislature voted to repeal the legislation that would let illegal aliens get California drivers licenses beginning January 1, 2004. The Democratic controlled legislature that had said they would not repeal the legislation suddenly changed its mind and voted to repeal it. The repeal of legal California driver's licenses for illegal aliens and others who did not have identification was a key promise in Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's campaign for governor.

Here is my original story. As of Friday, September 5, 2003, California Gov. Gray Davis signed a bill that would give illegal immigrants the right to have a legal California Driver's License. The bill has no security built into it. Two times in the past the governor refused to sign it, saying it created a security risk. Now with no security protections in the bill he has signed it into law. Below, you can read my Pros & Cons on the issue along with various Readers' viewpoints.

The Pro's and Con's


The State Of California is once again ready to issue driver's licenses to Illegal Aliens, or persons in this country without legal documents. Governor Gray Davis has to sign the new law. He refused to sign the bill when it came up just before the election last year.

Many Californians ask why should illegal aliens be given drivers' licenses, when they are in the country illegally. These critics say this will give them a legal means of identification when the state does not know who they are or where they are from since they entered the U.S. illegally and undocumented. Many Californians say driving is a privilege and should not be given to people who have broken the law to enter this country. The illegal workers say they need a license to drive so they can get to work. However most already have Mexican drivers' licenses that are accepted in the State of California. However undocumented persons from Asia my not have any drivers' licenses and many have never driven a car.

Police officials say the reason there are so many hit and run accidents is because the undocumented workers do not have driver's licenses and no insurance on their vehicles, so they drive off or flee the scene of the accident. In California a resident does not have to show proof of insurance to get a drivers' license. He or she only has to have proof of insurance when registering a vehicle or when stopped by a police officer.
People who are in favor of licenses for undocumented workers say the are already here by the millions and we use them as a cheap labor force so why not let them get a drivers' license and force them to get vehicle insurance. They say our companies have welcomed this illegal work force and we can no longer pretend these workers do not exist. An illegal alien told me: "You want us to come up here and work, you give us jobs and pay us less. We have to live a long way from where we work in the "gringo" neighborhoods so we need transportation. So if you won't give us driver's licenses we will just drive without them to get to work. It's the "gringo system," you people made the rules we didn't. We are just forced to live with it so we can work and feed our families."
I was on a Federal Immigration Raid one morning at 5:30 am on a ranch outside Houston, Texas. The Federal Immigration officers have to schedule the raids early in the mornings to arrest undocumented workers because they get up early to get to work on time. Some of the immigration officers who were with me on the raid that morning told me they were uncomfortable about arresting men and women who were on their way to work in the community at jobs no one else would take. One officer said, "These are hard working people." There was a woman from Mexico with three children and a husband and the entire family was taken into custody because they had no documentation. I said to her in Spanish: "why would you bring three children illegally to Texas. She said (in Spanish), " eras un gringo loco, cuando no hay dinero para frijoles para mis ninos, nos vamos al Norte." "you stupid gringo, when you can't afford to buy beans for your kids you move North to work." Often I think about what this young mother said. She was telling me that it was not their choice to be in a small dirty two-room shack in Texas, but as she put it there is no other answer when you must feed you kids. (Why do employers want to hire them? It's because they work cheap and they work so hard. A 10 to 12 hour day is normal for most workers.)
Here is a Homeland Security problem. If any person who is in this country illegally without documents can get a California Driver's License that will open the door to any terrorist who is in the U.S illegally. He or she can use this to get an official identification document from the State of California.
Finally if you permit illegal aliens to have drivers' licenses then what do you do about "motor voting." That's when you can drive up and show your California Driver's License and that registers you to vote.

What do you think? E-mail me your comments and I will post them on the Speak Out Page. Send them to Judd@TroubleshooterJudd.com.

Filed July 2003

Readers Speak Out!

Reader #1: In any other country, or at another time (long ago) in our own, these California politicians would have all been arrested and charged with treason for selling out our land to foreign nationals.

California does not belong to Mexico, nor El Salvador, nor Guatemala, nor Honduras. Let these people change their own countries if they hate them so much. How dare they come here legally or otherwise and force changes to our laws, social structure, economy, politics, environment, language, population and religion. And how DARE THE POLITICIANS LET THEM! The insanity must stop.

This is not a racist viewpoint. It's a common-sense, environmentally sound one. Everyone in the world cannot live in the United States and everyone in Central America cannot live in California. Our resources are being drained and polluted.

Furthermore, if legal immigrants support such treasonous measures, then they must never have pledged allegiance to THIS country and for what it stands. They are as much an abomination as the brain-dead politicians running this state, other states in the southwest and in Washington D.C. Let the house cleaning begin. --- Susan Harris, Los Angeles.

Reader #2: Yes, there is a problem with the 2 million plus illegals.. We were on the right track when they were given a limited period of time to come forward and be allowed to stay. Ofcourse they're frightened--who wouldn't be?---but the fact remain that they do not belong here and must go home. We have the resources to find them deport them and stop playing politics.
Let them have there own Mexican, Asian, or where ever they came from Tea party. Let them begin to take over their own countries. No longer should we allow children born in the United States to be immediate citizens. Parents must be here legally over a period of time to allow that to happen The free ride must end---How else can we ever expect government to function out of the red. We do a very sorry job of taking care of our own. People who have paid taxes and contributed to the system go hungry and cannot get help. Our veterans are refused care, yet they are called upon to stand up and die for our country or someone else's country. Our politicians must stop lining there pockets and follow the will of the people.
Once again I say Enough is Enough.

Reader #3: Governor Davis veto two previous bills that contained more security provisions than the one that was pass. The previous two bills were bad, this one is worst. The illegal imigration in California is not Asians, it is people from Mexico and Central America. Their drivers lisence is accepted here. Illegal imigrants are not going to get insurance, they can not afford it with the wages they make.
People argue that they do jobs that no one would take that is not true. In the late 1980's New Hampshire had a shortage of people that would do waitress, busboy, dishwahser, gardner, etc. The employers then started offering health insurance wages up to $10.00/hour. The market will adjust. When I was growing up that was the jobs we did as kids. The hard jobs. It would do our youth a lot of good to start learning work ethics early instead of playing video games.
Regarless the two main problems with the bill is that it further encourages the flow of illegal imigration. If this bill is pass not only will we get illegals from the South, but also from other states. Since it will make it a lot easier to appear as a legal resident. The second probelm is that there is not controls on the the bill to prevent illegal voting in mass. The Consulate of Mexico provides an identification card to Mexicans. A Mexican could go in give one name and get his drivers liscence with that name. In a week he could get a second under a second name. The number is limitless. Lets say he only gets three. And lets say of the approximate 2 million illegals in the state only 100,000 of them get voting registration card under the three names. That is 300,000 votes that will definitely swing an election.
As a Naturalzied Citizen I am opposed to a non citizen from voting. --- A Perez

Reader #4: I cant believe what is going on in California!If you told me 10 years ago that the government was considering giving illegal aliens drivers licenses I would ask what you've bean smoking. This is like giving me permission to run naked down Main St. on Sunday. How did this get so far?I don't remember voting on this! I demand a say in all of this. The only reason this got so far is the Mexicans finally have done it. They have the vote.This scares me to death and I feel like Im alone in all this.There has to be a way for me to speak out.
Can you image what they would say in all the foreign countries if this passes.They will be laughing and calling us the stupidest people on Earth, then they would get there asses over here as fast as they can,and bring there aunts, uncles, sisters, brothers. There would be twice the problem at the border.They estimate about 6 million E.A. (Illegal Aliens) in Calf. right now.
I will bet that number will double in 3 to 5 years,that is scary. I'm starting to think that is the big plan get more Mexicans over here to vote. How can I get someone to listen to me? As there population grows my taxes go up to pay for them. There already giving my hard earned money away to these E.A.s witch in its self is a criminal act. We all need to take a carful look at whats going on here.E.A.s are already a big part of the budget crisis if we make it any easyer for them they will start demanding more and get it.You watch what happens.We are giving them every thing they need to breed US out of house and home. Our beautiful California ,and our quality of life are in real jeopardy.I am at a complete loss and need your help to steer me in the right direction as far as who to contact with my thoughts and concerns. --- Greg Lee

Reader #5: If aliens are making such an important contribution to our economy why can't we provide adequate public transit so that not only illegals, but also citizens and legal residents who cannot, should not or choose not to drive can have access to all that new sprawl development we've been building "for motorists only."
Driving a motor vehicle is a high-risk activity. No one should be forced to rely on modes of transportation so dangerous that they require seat belts, air bags or crash helmets. --- Art Weber, El Cerrito, California

Filed: September, 2003