Somebody please explain this to me. Too many states already link driver license duration to approved immigration stay. Then, each time the alien's stay is extended, s/he has to go back to the RMV/DMV, and they have to wait until they have an approval in hand even though legally they are in a valid status while the case to extend or change status is pending. Most people, including cops, DMV, RMV, and even customs agents (who are supposed to be experts) don't even understand the difference between a valid visa and a valid status, or between an overstay and an expired visa.
The only reason states can require a license to drive a motor vehicle is PUBLIC SAFETY. The fact that driver licenses have become a de facto ID card is IMMATERIAL, the document as written is relevant only for determining whether a person legally may operate a motor vehicle. Driver licenses do not convey any other right or privilege, whether immigration-related or not. The states should tell DHS to take a hike.
2007-03-09 05:56:25 · 7 answers · asked by Captain Obvious! 3 in Politics & Government ➔ Immigration
Come on folks.
"giving [illegals] ID to live here easily is against public policy."
Licenses convey the right to drive, practice law or medicine, hunt deer, cut hair, or whatever the subject matter of the license might be. None of these convey legal immigration status.
"Public safety is NOT the only reason the states can refuse to give people a license."
Driving without a license is a crime based on a legitimate use of the police power, which has to do with public safety.
"The 9/11 hijackers, here illegally, got licenses and used them to operate freely in the country."
I think they entered legally on student visas and could have got licenses on that basis. Plus, they didn't drive their Camrys and Accords into the Pentagon or WTC towers.
SisofPhil is right: Illegals will drive unlicensed to avoid detection, creating a hazard to public safety. Better to get them into the system & make the roads safer, and let DHS address the legality of their status in the US.
2007-03-09 07:26:41 · update #1
The Real ID Act blackmails state governments into turning their drivers licenses into a draconian tool of the federal homeland security apparatus. If states refuse, their citizens lose such "privileges" as being allowed to board an airplane, enter a federal building, or apply for social security.
2007-03-09 06:09:41 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
It has to do with who should be given the privilege of driving. We want it to be hard to be here illegally. Saying it is illegal for them to be here then giving them government ID to live here easily is against public policy.
Public safety is NOT the only reason the states can refuse to give people a license. It is a privilege, and there is a lot of case law on that.
The 9/11 hijackers, here illegally, got licenses and used them to operate freely in the country.
2007-03-09 06:44:18 · answer #2 · answered by DAR 7 · 0⤊ 3⤋
1) can the person read the road signs, since they are in English?
2) Was their domestic country dramatically different, in terms of driving regulations? e.g.- I couldn't drive in Quebec if my life depended on it, bcz I'm so used to American roads.
3) If the person knows they need to be legal to get a driver's license, will they drive around unlicensed for a while to avoid the risk of getting caught? This places a hazard on the road w/ inexperienced drivers.
4) Driving is something of a priveledge, and for those who pay taxes, right? I mean, roads are flipping expensive to build and maintain. If a person's not legally here, they may not be paying their fair share of taxes, and therefore shouldn't be allowed to consume public services, such as roadways.
5) the line at the DMV is bad enough, as is. the less waiting for me w/ other ppl, the better.
2007-03-09 06:03:14 · answer #3 · answered by sisofphil 2 · 5⤊ 2⤋
It is not about driving a car. It is about being here legally. If an illegal can not ride a train, bus or plane, why should he be able to drive? The idea to REAL ID is to identify those here legally so we can make those here illegally go home. One way to do that is to make life miserable for them. If they can not get a job OR drive a car, they will have little choice but to go home.
PREDICTION: If REAL ID works and the illegals head for home, Mexico will put up a fence on the border and SHOOT them as they try to cross "illegally" into Mexico.
2007-03-10 13:02:15 · answer #4 · answered by forgivebutdonotforget911 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
It's the fact that this important ID can be used for other things. Plus driving is a privilege, not a right. Illegal aliens don't have rights in this country!
Many of the drivers of cars with "Baja California" plates don't know how to drive! They are horrible!!!
2007-03-09 06:04:36 · answer #5 · answered by ? 4 · 4⤊ 2⤋
it's about ensuring that people who have the privilige to get a license or be driving more than as a visitor get a license and it only be valid as long as they are here legally.... if you are here illegally, you are not entitled to a license basically, it does not mean you can not drive safetly, but if you can't take the road and written tests, there is no way to show this... and since illegals should not be taking the exam, it can not be proven they drive safetly.... you need to be legal to get legal documents... and a license is a legal document....
2007-03-09 07:04:15 · answer #6 · answered by crazydeb16 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
If you break into my house, EVERYTHING you do while in my house is illegal.
2007-03-09 06:09:20 · answer #7 · answered by Trollbuster 6 · 3⤊ 3⤋