Driver IDs for illegals raise security concerns

On the other side, many fear the law does not go far enough to ensure that illegal immigrants won't be arrested for other reasons when stopped for a traffic violation. Immigrant-rights groups say illegals have called to mention their fears of being mistreated by DMV staff or law enforcement.

Many state voters feel conflicted over the issue, concedes Tennessee Rep. Donna Rowland. "We don't know how airports and other states are going to recognize [Tennessee's new card], or private businesses for that matter," she says. "There has been conflicting information from official bodies on how to deal with these answers. It's already creating a problem."

Because of such comments and confusion, some observers say the best answer is for Congress to establish uniform security standards for driver's licenses that all states must comply with.

"If the states can't establish uniform standards, the driver's license will continue to be the massive, gaping hole in national security that aided the 9/11 hijackers," says Dan Stein, executive director of FAIR. "This twilight zone between state and federal sovereignty has created a huge security gap. It is imperative that the federal government step in rather than stay back and watch states like Tennessee and California continue to consider their own bills for their own political and economic reasons."

One bill in Congress would require nonimmigrant aliens to produce a valid nonimmigrant visa when applying for a state driver's license or ID card. The license would expire along with the visa.

One state, South Dakota, has an absolute requirement that drivers have a Social Security number to get a license. Many other states, including New York and Texas, have "lawful presence" requirements. Of the 10 that don't have such requirements, most require an ID issued by an immigrant's home country.

Tom Moore, deputy director of safety for the Tennessee department of safety, says the card is "a document to drive on, nothing more. We are not in the immigration business, we don't enforce immigration laws but rather those of the highway."

In most states, the major point of contention seems to be over what kind of background checks will be required by license holders. A Florida bill was also abandoned when law enforcement raised red flags over background checks.

Sponsors of the California bill say they have addressed such concerns in three, major new ways.

One, applicants will have to find a licensed US citizen to vouch for them. Two, They will have to sign an affidavit acknowledging the document can't be used to purchase firearms, to vote or to serve on a jury. And three, they will need to sign an affidavit pledging they will apply for citizenship at the first opportunity.

"Voters are conflicted," says Edward Headington, spokesman for Gil Cedillo, sponsor of the California bill. "They know immigrants are an important part of the world's fifth-largest economy [California], but then say they don't like it if they are here illegally."

Page: 1 | 2