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发帖数: 847 | 1 Kalifornia keeps getting better.
http://news.yahoo.com/illegal-immigrants-drivers-licenses-under
By Sharon Bernstein
SACRAMENTO (Reuters) - Illegal immigrants living in California will be
eligible to apply for driver's licenses under a law signed on Thursday by
Governor Jerry Brown, in the latest action to expand privileges for such
immigrants in the state.
The legislation is a major victory for Latino and immigration rights
activists, who have fought for decades for such a law, and it is expected to
spur 1.4 million people to apply for licenses over three years.
It represents a significant departure from past policy in California, which
joins nine other states that allow undocumented immigrants to drive legally.
But the law stands in stark contrast to policy in states like Arizona,
which recently widened its ban on licenses for those in the United States
illegally.
"Millions of immigrant families have been looking forward to this day," said
Democratic Assemblyman Luis Alejo, who sponsored the bill. "It will allow
them to go to work, go to school, take their kids to a doctor's appointment
without fear that they are going to have their car taken away from them, or
worse, be put into immigration proceedings."
Alejo gave a nod to former a former state senator and current Los Angeles
City Council member, Gil Cedillo, who introduced a similar bill year-in and
year-out, only to have it fail to pass or be vetoed.
He said the new law was a signal to Congress, which has so far failed to
pass comprehensive immigration reform despite considerable momentum on the
issue earlier this year.
"When Congress fails to act, it forces states like California, with (the)
largest immigrant population in country, to enact laws to improve the lives
of immigrants," Alejo said. "It's certainly a message that California is
leading the way and that we're going to continue to pass legislation that
will help integrate immigrants into our society."
The bill was passed by the Democrat-led state legislature on votes of 28-8
in the Senate and 55-19 in the Assembly.
REPUBLICAN SUPPORT
It won support from nearly half of the legislature's Republicans, who broke
ranks with their national leaders to support a number of protections for
illegal immigrants at the state level and urged Congress to act.
On Thursday, a Republican Assembly leader who had not been part of that
group criticized the bill as part of a "piecemeal" rather than comprehensive
approach to immigration reform.
But then he went on to urge Congress to act.
"As Americans, we need to find compassionate, caring solutions to this
immigration challenge," said San Diego County Assemblyman Brian Jones. "The
first challenge is to secure our borders. The second challenge is to find a
way for people to have legal status."
A conservative Republican assemblywoman, Diane Harkey of Orange County, said
earlier that the measure could lead to racial profiling, because the
licenses would be different from those issued to legal residents.
Brown initially threatened to veto the bill but changed his stance after
advocates promised it would not conflict with federal law.
"This bill will enable millions of people to get to work safely and legally,
" Brown, a Democrat, said when he signaled his support. "Hopefully it will
send a message to Washington that immigration reform is long past due."
The California law will go into effect January 1, 2015, unless the state
determines it can begin issuing the licenses sooner.
The state must still design the licenses. To conform with federal law, the
licenses must show that the bearers have not presented a birth certificate
or Social Security card.
Alejo said he would prefer the California licenses be discreet, with small
wording on the back indicating the license was not meant for identification
purposes. The law bars discriminating against people with the special
licenses.
Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant
Rights of Los Angeles, called the law "fundamental and way overdue."
"A driver's license makes our roads safer and offers a practical tool for
any Californian, regardless of immigration status, that can be used to
conduct everyday tasks that greatly contribute to our state's growth," Salas
said.
(Reporting by Sharon Bernstein; Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Steve
Orlofsky) | l******t
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