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Subscribe to RSSIllinois may soon become the most populous U.S. state to grant a form of driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, after the nation's growing Hispanic population boosted the power of Democrats in national and state elections on November 6.
A bipartisan group of Illinois politicians announced on Tuesday they would propose such a law when the legislature convenes on November 27.
Washington state and New Mexico are the only states that currently allow illegal immigrants to get licenses. Utah allows driving permits. As the fifth most populous state, Illinois would be the biggest state to adopt such a law.
A California law that allows immigrants with federal work permits to receive driver's licenses will take effect January 1, 2013.
Supporters said the law would be good for public safety, allowing Illinois immigrant motorists to get tested on their driving skills and buy insurance.
"When you have a quarter of a million undocumented drivers on the road, it's definitely a safety concern," said Ron Holmes, spokesman for Illinois Senate President John Cullerton, who is backing the measure along with fellow Democrats Illinois Governor Pat Quinn and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
Former Illinois Governor Jim Edgar, a popular Republican, joined Democrats at a news conference in Chicago Tuesday to support the idea, as did Republican State Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka. It also has the support of the powerful House Speaker, Chicago Democrat Michael Madigan, giving it a good chance of passage.
The drive to pass the law follows the re-election of Democratic President Barack Obama, Democratic gains in the U.S. Senate and in the Illinois legislature with strong Hispanic support.
Since 2010, a handful of Republican-led states, notably border state Arizona, passed laws cracking down on illegal immigrants. But after this year's election, which saw an estimated 66 percent of Hispanics vote for Obama, Democrats and Republicans have said they want to work on an overhaul of federal immigration law.
Illinois, like California, elected a veto-proof Democratic supermajority in the legislature this month, with Democrats now controlling all branches of government.
Unlicensed, uninsured drivers are involved in almost 80,000 accidents in Illinois each year, resulting in $660 million in damage, according to the Illinois Highway Safety Coalition. Unlicensed immigrant drivers cost $64 million in damage claims alone.
The Safety Coalition said on its website that since New Mexico made the change in 2003, the rate of uninsured motorists fell from 33 percent to under 9 percent.
New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez, a Republican, has fought to outlaw such licenses since she took office in January 2011. She has argued that the state's law encouraged people to come to New Mexico from other states just to obtain driver's licenses.
Holmes said supporters of the Illinois measure are talking with law enforcement officials to make sure a license for undocumented immigrants would not be used for fraud.
The measure would expand to undocumented immigrants Illinois' existing temporary visitor driver's license, used by legal immigrants. The licenses are "visually distinct" from ordinary licenses, with a purple background and the words "not valid for identification" on the front, explained Lawrence Benito, chief executive of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.
"This is a practical, commonsense approach," said Benito. He said supporters have been talking with Republicans in the legislature to try to get their support.
According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the number of Latinos in Illinois was over 2 million, or nearly 16 percent of the population.
Republicans in Illinois who have objected to the proposed law in the past could not be reached for comment.
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That is great news! Let Illinois be a magnet for off of the illegals elsewhere. Illinois can have all of them!
Here is a genious idea, DEPORT THEM! Apparently they know that they can get away with living here illegally so why the hell not take advantage of everything our corrupt government will do for them?
Why don't they provide them with a C.C.W. permit? This is ridiculous I guess illegal means nothing to these dummies. My Grandfather is so upset about this, it took him many years to become a citizen of this country. Now they are just opening the gates and allowing them to have whatever they want.
This is bullsh*t. The fact that they have no legal right to be here to begin with should trump obtaining a license. A lot of drunk drivers are illegals.
This is what is going on in America today. The majority are voting for this type liberal legislation. I don't agree with it but I am told everyday to get over it. I guess it's time to retire so that my income tax paying days will end.
I agree with Common Sense, this is bullsh*t!!
You just can't get any dumber than that!
I truly hate this state, Give drivers license to an Illegal? Next time an Illegal is caught robbing something, they will let them go and give them the money since they are ILLEGAL and its ok if your illegal in this state.
Reminds me of the debate several years ago when Bank of America wanted to give credit cards to non-US citizens. Just one more step towards making it easier for illegals to live here. Eventually there'll be no reason to get citizenship at all. Can't imagine giving them the vote is very far off.
See when they put up a story like this you know where the all the right goes to whine. All of you made my morning!!! Thank You!!! Guess what you can't deport them not enough money to do that. Get use to it their here to stay. Who is going to do the jobs you don't want to? Are any of you going to be migrant workers? Who of you are going to work at the chicken plants. Hey instead of sending your kids to college they can have all the illegals jobs.
You're missing something here.
The law they are proposing would be the same as the California law. Per the article:
A California law that allows immigrants with federal work permits to receive driver's licenses will take effect January 1, 2013. Supporters said the law would be good for public safety, allowing Illinois immigrant motorists to get tested on their driving skills and buy insurance.
The headline of the story is misleading. the law says nothing about illegals, it says immigrants with work permits. The proposed law in IL would allow immigrants with work permits to get licenses, but said licenses would not be valid for identification:
Holmes said supporters of the Illinois measure are talking with law enforcement officials to make sure a license for undocumented immigrants would not be used for fraud.
The measure would expand to undocumented immigrants Illinois' existing temporary visitor driver's license, used by legal immigrants. The licenses are "visually distinct" from ordinary licenses, with a purple background and the words "not valid for identification" on the front, explained Lawrence Benito, chief executive of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.
And the measure is for immigrants and undocumented immigrants, not illegal immigrants. Illegal and undocumented are not the same thing.
For example--I was undocumented. I was adopted internationally as an infant, never told before my parents passed away in a car accident, then when USCIS discovered they had lost my adoption paper and I couldn't give them a copy because i had never known I was adopted, I was declared undocumented--but not 'illegal' since I had come in legally and been adopted legally (they knew they had the adoption paper at one point and it had been lost in the 18 years since my adoption.)
I have a driver's license, obtained before I was declared undocumented, but if I don't pay close attention to renewing it when time comes (though I don't drive and don't own a car) I will not be able to get another one even though I am now 'legal'.
(I found the courthouse where my adoption paper had been filed and gave them a copy, and was given Naturalization certificate and allowed to take the Oath of Citizenship.)
When I originally got my license, the re-issued birth certificate filed by a judge that shows my adopted parents as my parents was accepted (it's standard practice in adoption cases), but in the time since, the law has changed so that only an original birth certificate can now be accepted--my adoption birth certificate is no longer valid to get a drivers' license. And I don't have an original birth certificate--I was abandoned as an infant at an international orphanage. (people rarely ever leave a birth certificate when they abandon children.)
And people who are refugees or seeking asylum may not have documentation either-- many developing countries don't keep adequate records of children born in far-flung villages,or if you village has been raided or bombed or burned or the government has suffered a coup d'etat, records may be irretrievably lost. For example, someone from a Ugandan village who has fled to the US and filed for asylum may not necessarily have a birth certificate since many parts of the African interior don't keep records like that. Not having a birth certificate would be common. It does not mean they are here illegally, it does not mean they should be denied the right to live and the privilege to work and drive while they are waiting for USCIS to decide on their application to stay,which can take as many as 5-15 years.
If the drivers license they are issued says 'not valid for identification' they will still need to provide a green card or temporary resident card to prove thy are who they say they are, but that DL will get them insurance and you will not be stuck with a bill if an uninsured motorist hits you.
I am in favor of this measure.
Why is it only the Mexicans cannot figure out how to immigrate here legally? Everyone else seems to be able to figure it out. If the system is broken then it needs to be changed, but all immigrants need to follow our laws. Illinois giving the illegals drivers licenses is just another way the Democrats try to create new voters. Need an I.D. to vote....bingo! Illinois has been controlled for over 25 years by Democrats. Notice how we are one of the most broke States in the country? The only State without Concealed Carry (except for the politicians). One of the most poorly funded pension programs? Yet the voters keep electing Democrats. The definition on insanity is to expect change while doing the same thing over and over again.
Guess what? As a teenager 13-17 my friends and I DID these jobs every summer to pay for school clothes and supplies for the upcoming year, I know plenty of teenage boys and girls who would love the chance to get one of these jobs, my daughter included.
this is ridiculous if they r illegal send them back where they came from
I guess the president didn't wait long to start the pay back. What a joke this country is.
It is against Federal immigration laws to aid or abet illegal aliens.
How long do you think it will take Obama and Holder to sue Illinois for violating Federal law?
Think we should ask Arizona?
NBC can eat @!$%# reporting with such poor journalism and spreading despair and illegal behavior across America.
I helped CORRECT TWO WORDS... NBC PANDERING TO NON_AMERICAN ILLEGAL TERRORIST AND THIEVES AND DRUG ADDICTS.
Come to California where I live and witness it daily...
Oh and Rham Emanual is the biggest corrupt POS in America...
If these illegal thief criminals don't take the written driver's test in English ONLY, the "safety issue" will not be solved. Period.
Looks like Illinois is taking the lead to start signing up 2016 democrat voters!!!
Driving is a privilege not a right! One requirement to get a driver's license is to be legally in this country. Politicians will do anything to get a vote. Obummer proved that!
This is just payment by the democrats to the Latins for their vote.
1SGFITzsWife4id Cool I would like to see you & your teenage daughter work at a chicken plant. Maybe she could ask to work in the kill part of the plant. Maybe hanging chickens on the kill line will help her to gain perspective maybe you could join her and you might gain some perspective. If thats to gross you could go out in the fields and pick fruit. I think you would gain more perspective working from dawn to sunset picking fruit. Are you willing to do that?
Let's be sure to give illegals SSI, free college and offer them our homes as well.
I'm sure the U.S. military appreciates the opportunity to die to protect the freedoms and liberties of the illegal immigrants.
And I hope you never have to experience what it's like to get hit by a driver with state minimum mandatory insurance. They might as well be driving without it, because you'll be submitting the claim to your own company anyway, just save you from substandard repairs and/or months of inconvenience and headaches.
Completely insane and disgusting!! Deport ILLEGAL FOREIGN NATIONALS! This will only serve to incentivize more immigration lawbreaking!!!
Back in the days when people immigrated to the US in the 1900's to after WWII, if a person wanted to immigrate they showed up at an immigration station like Ellis Island with the application, a nominal fee, and a list of skills they had and how they could contribute. If they knew someone who was already here it was helpful but it wasn't necessary.
Somewhere after WWII, the law was changed. now, if you want to come in, you have to have a close family member already here, or an employer, or a school to sponsor you in, you can't apply to come in because you're a doctor or scientist or whatever. It's become all about who you know, not about what you can contribute.
For many immigrants, the solution lay in slipping over the border, having a child on American soil, raising that child to adulthood, then slipping back over the border and waiting until that child cold sponsor you in. It also gave the parent the chance to save up the fees necessary to enter from application to temporary resident, the fees now are somewhere between $6000 and $10,000--the average annual salary for someone in Mexico, for example, is $5200 USD a year, so coming to america requires several years of saving just to file the application.
Then even if they find someone to sponsor them in, pay the fees, are allowed to come, and file for permanent residency/citizenship, they have to wait for USCIS to get around to approving that application. currently the wait is somewhere between 15-20 years for you application to get approved, and there have been cases where someone was approved for residency but deported as an undocumented anyway because it took USCIS 3-5 years to get their paperwork, certificates and residency cards to them. And the reason it can take that long, in some instances, is the 'you have to know someone already here' law--in countries where records aren't well-kept or the government is not one that plays nice with the US, it can take years to get an answer back o how the sponsor is related to the applicant.
One of the solutions I see to the immigration problem is to simply rescind the law that says you have to know someone already here. let's go back to the way it was when many of your parents and grandparents immigrated through Ellis Island; let's focus on what the person can contribute rather than who the person knows. Europe didn't have many opportunities after WWI, and many of the brightest scientific minds immigrated to the US, and that skill-based immigration is part of what won us WWII and got us to our position today as a world superpower.
Obama's home state. Go figure! This is a complete and total travesty.
Amanda, I believe the California law you are quoting goes on the premise that the immigrants being given licences can show that they are here legally! Illegals, are still lawbreakers and as such do not belong here and should not have the right to obtain driver's licenses or other basic services reserved for legal residents and citizens.
Amanda,
I would like to hire you as my personal spokesperson. This way I wouldn't have to say another word the rest of my life.
Creek Dog said:
Amanda,
I would like to hire you as my personal spokesperson. This way I wouldn't have to say another word the rest of my life.
Per my post:
I have a driver's license, obtained before I was declared undocumented, but if I don't pay close attention to renewing it when time comes (though I don't drive and don't own a car) I will not be able to get another one even though I am now 'legal'.
Also, yes, I have been hit by a driver who who only had minimum insurance. I was on my bicycle and ended up having to cover the cost of reconstructive surgery myself.
When they come to pick up their new license..... put them on a bus back home
They're ILLEGAL... breaking the law..... not supposed to be here in the first place.......
Or does the Democratic party just see them as new voters?
Dear Amanda,
Get NO FAULT insurance or has your insurance agent not told you about that???? If you do not know what that is you probably should not be driving.
Your twisted attempt at your long winded twist on a serious subject in America is pathetic at best... do not get a job as a spin doctor because you fail...
let me sum it up for you... NO FAULT INSURANCE makes your whole long winded debate about you getting paid if an illegal ALIEN TERRORIST hits you is a MUTE TALKING POINT.
Try harder next time... or better yet take some of that internet newsvine posting money and computer/smartphone money and get your documentation sorted...unless of course your posting at your illegal alien job and your companies dime and PC.
So you have two choices... get your documents in order and PAY FOR IT....OR... Get NO FAULT insurance on your vehicle. BOTH SOLUTIONS COST YOU MONEY
But then of course you want those illegal alien terrorist to pay for it...your to broke to do it huh???
Smitty-4183671
Legal immigrants. Illegal immigration only hurts legal immigrants. It disincentivizes legal immigration, it lowers the wages and benefits that immigrants receive, and generally hurts the immigrant population. These are the reasons many union leaders (including Cesar Chavez) have long opposed illegal immigration, as it only hurts their own ranks.
....why shouldn't they get driver's licenses in Illinois....they already vote there....Obozo and the Dumbocrats are a disgrace to America....no better than treasonous scum.....
Yes, and the IL law being proposed says the same thing. Read the actual text of the law here;
http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?GAID=9&SessionID=51&GA=95&DocTypeID=HB&DocNum=1100&LegID=28896&SpecSess=&Session=
Look for section 6-106. The applicant has to have a legal Social security number and/or a legal ITIN number (issued by USCIS) in order to get the license. (if an ITIN number is provided the applicant has to show a passport.) They check through the IRS for taxable purposes and if you are not paying taxes with the number you cannot get a license. Males also have to be registered in the Selective Service.
I have an easier solution. If someone is driving without a drivers license, arrest them and impound the car. Why is Illinois changing the law to better accomodate criminals? I'm ok with legal immigrants on work visas getting a license, but dont make it easier for illegals to gain a foothold into the country they snuck into. IL legistlature is a bunch of idiots.
Seriously wouldn't it be less trouble to annex Mexico to the US and make marijuana legal? Just look at all the trouble we are having with trying to control something that has been a problem for 60 years simply because farmers and businesses wanted cheap labor. They're not taking our jobs because Alabama proved that jobs wasn't the issue when they made it extremely difficult for aliens to work there. The farmers couldn't get local labor so crops went to rot in the fields because Alabama men would not work at that type of labor.
Marijuana has proven that the "war on drugs" is not working so legalize it and pay off the national debt with a tax on it like tobacco and alcohol. People that want it are going to get it no matter what the government tries to do. Just like in the 20s during alcohol prohibition outlaws are getting rich by peddling marijuana on the black market.
Yeah cause all the illegals immigrants are Mexican. Racists much?
Mexico accounts for 61% of illegal immigrants in the U.S. the rest come from other countries with a growing illegal immigrant population coming from Asia.
I boldfaced and italicized the part where I said I DO NOT DRIVE AND DON'T HAVE A CAR. You are not required to have insurance if you ride a bicycle.
OK, now I know you didn't read my post. Per my words from 1.9:
I found the courthouse where my adoption paper had been filed and gave them a copy, and was given a Naturalization certificate and allowed to take the Oath of Citizenship.
I am now legal but cannot get a new drivers license because in my state it requires an original birth certificate, which I do not have and will never have because I was abandoned as an infant at an international orphanage. People who abandon infants don't usually leave birth certificates with the child.
Why don't we just tear-down the entire Ellis island complex. Hell, let's stop teaching English in schools. Why don't we now just offer a cash bonus if you illegally sneak into America.
Congratulations, Dems. You have now forever ruined what was once the greatest country in the world.
Amanda, I did and you are quite correct. My thanks for bringing that to my attention. Have a good day.
Because being an illegal immigrant is not a criminal offense. There is a deep philosophical difference between Liberal and Conservative thought which you are expressing here.
Conservatives are big on punishment. Liberals are big on trying to prevent situations where the person becomes a criminal.
The Law isn't something that is handed down to use from on high. Laws are what we make in order to prevent problems within our community. If an illegal immigrant is paying taxes, he or she is benefiting the economy and us. It is in our economic interest to not make it difficult for him to do so.
I've already done it, at the time I made a whopping 4.25 a hour, my daughter wouldn't do the chickens but she would go in the fields as she does it for free in our own back yard (our garden is over an acre) not everyone is afraid of a little hard work smitty.
Well, that's the ticket! Reward them for helping you out in the election..per the story:
How do you combat a party that essentially buys off people for power?? The whole system has been corrupted with this mentality!
Shhhhhh, it's a sting. When all these illegals show up to apply for their licenses they'll be getting arrested and thrown in the slammer instead. Every couple of weeks they'll take a semi load of them back to the border and drop them off.
@Byron Raum
Illegal immigrants are a problem and to ignore that fact is just naive on your part. My family and I came here legally, filing all the proper paperwork and paying all the fees to do so. Why is it that we should make life easier for someone who completely flaunted this country's immigration policy. You're right, there is a fundamental difference between the Conservative and the Liberal way of thinking. Conservatives believe that there should be consequences when you flaunt US law. Liberals like to make an excuse why the law shouldnt apply or that the offender is really the victim and we should make their lives easier. This is the real world, not some hippie kumbaya fantasy where money grows on trees and we support all the impoverished people of the world. This country is in a spending crisis and illegal immigration is a boon to federal and state bedgets. This doesnt even begin to scratch the surface on how illegals are affecting our communities. I'm all for immigrants, I am one, but follow the f#%king law.
With the way the economy is going down the tubes and with many business killing taxes and regulations on the near horizon I don't think it will be too long before we start seeing riots and fighting between out of work US citizens and the parasitic illegals. For the genius that stated the illegals do jobs that US citizens won't. That's wrong on a couple of points. First, you're basically saying you're all for slave labor. Second, illegals that work cheaper than a US citizen do it because they can. They live in a house or apartment with 20 other illegals. They work under the table and don't pay income tax. Pull the illegal out of the equation and wages will rise to the point where someone will do it. Your support of the illegals is effing your country and fellow citizens at the same time. In my opinion you're a piece excrement.
Harry - 1952....."That is great news! Let Illinois be a magnet for off of the illegals elsewhere. Illinois can have all of them!"
SORRY Harry.....Washington State already has that trophy. Last year, about 300,000 driver licenses were given to Illegal Aliens (Immigrants), some of which traveled across country to Washington State to get them.
Guess what is ALLOWED for I.D. when voting in Washington State.....you got it.....a Washington State driver's license.
Heck, you only need an ITIN [given to Illegal Aliens (Immigrants)] for filing a Federal Income Tax Return. Guess how much taxpayer money was given to Illegals claiming the Child Tax Credit for children, not theirs, living in Mexico ? About $ 4,000,000,000 last year, and that number will rise.
An ITIN number is assigned to an immigrant who comes in LEGALLY, can show proof of paperwork to the Dept of Labor and get a work permit, then the ITIN number can be used to have taxes withheld.
And in answer to your other point--these IL licenses will have stamped on the front of them 'NOT VALID AS IDENTIFICATION'. And these licenses are not going to be given to illegals, read the text of the law, I posted a link to it at 1.32.
Ellis Island was closed down as an immigration station right around the end of WWII. It hasn't been used in a while.
I recommend you do some research on the entire immigration system as it is currently.
There's one thing that the white people (yes, I'm generalizing, for good reason) on Newsvine seem to consistently do. Oversimplify, overstate and over exaggerate. The logic in this thread is suggesting that if a tsunami hits, redirect the water. If the land is flooded, grab buckets and scoop it back into the ocean. Oh yeah, and scoop all the rivers and lakes out with it.
You're going to have to come to the realization, or at least your kids are, that there's nothing you can do about the people already here. They're a part of your economy and a part of your infrastructure now. And in some cases, they're a part of your family. That being an illegal person and being an immoral person are two different things, and all of, or the worst of, society's woes do not stem in any significant way from this particular group. They're just like a lot of you, willing to throw caution to the wind if it means making a better life for your family. But not inherently evil (as the vehemence that some of you show towards them demonstrates) or anywhere remotely as draining to the economy (as statistical evidence shows) as you make them out to be.
Keep up with hyperbole and outrage, because any of the genuine immigration problems will continue to never be solved. Keep shaking your fists and bravely insulting other people on the internet from the safety of your keyboards. That way nothing will get done. Or, take a step back and think about what your asking. Because stemming a tide will only BEGIN to work when you've stopped to figure out how much water is heading your way, and how much is already in your lap. If you can't do that. If you can't for a minute stop and think about the lives affected and the realities of the situation, and how they're far more nuanced than "put 'em in a bus and ship 'em all home", then the only other reasonable insinuation is that you don't really want a solution that works for all. You just want to get rid of all the brown people.
@Digital Jedi
I thought you were making intelligent and well thought out points (even if i didn't agree) until your closing comment. Those of us for taking a hard line stance on illegal immigration, don't feel that way because we "want to get rid of all the brown people." Illegal immigration is not only committed by hispanic or african people, but also by Europeans. To identify all those who are for a hard line approach, and who insist that there be consequences to violating the USA's immigration laws, as racists has taken any sort of sincere willingness to consider your argument out of the equation.
Why doesn't Illinois pay back all the actual legal citizens, who are looking for work, that voted them in this past election? Says a lot about what the elected officials think about their own legal citizens...... not much. But then it is Illinois..... the state that rewards criminal behavior.
Why don't we just invite every illegal undocumented worker in the world over to the USA. We feed them, house them, give them money and then we count them and then say their illegal... and then we let them drive... back to Mexico, and then they come back with more illegals, . . . . what a wonderful cycle we have created. When we start to legitimize Illegals in anyway, they are not really illegal then are they ???
In 20 years, the sign at the USA borders will read, Welcome to the " New Mexico "
nice story amanda in post 1.9 but there is no reference in this article that this law in illinois will be like the law in california. There is a small "paragraph" that mentions the law in california, but there is nothing mentioned in this article that says the two laws will be similar. So until you can point out where the article says the two will be the same, as far as i'm concerned, as well as you, this law targets illegals. and you should be against that, if you're a sane and smart american citizen/legal resident.
You can not vote unless you are an American citizen. Legal immigrants can not vote. You can only use your DL to vote if you are a registered voter. They use it to look you up not to register you. You have to be registered long before the election.
AH, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, ROTFLMAO, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, TOLD YOU SO, HA, HA
Even funnier:
AH, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, ROTFLMAO, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, PATHETIC UNEDUCATED, HA, HA
New Mexico's law on driver's licenses under fire
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44255813/ns/us_news-the_new_york_times/?gt1=43001
http://money.msn.com/investing/11-things-wrong-with-congress
No, the article does not. The text of the law itself clarifies it.
I pasted the link to this in post 1.32 above, but apparently only one person read the actual text, so I'll paste relevant sections here for simplicity's sake;
Sec. 6-106. Application for license or instruction permit.
(a) Every application for any permit or license authorized to be issued under this Act shall be made upon a form furnished by the Secretary of State. Every application shall be accompanied by the proper fee and payment of such fee shall entitle the applicant to not more than 3 attempts to pass the examination within a period of 1 year after the date of application.
(b) Every application shall state the legal name, social security number, zip code, date of birth, sex, and residence address of the applicant; briefly describe the applicant; state whether the applicant has theretofore been licensed as a driver, and, if so, when and by what state or country, and whether any such license has ever been cancelled, suspended, revoked or refused, and, if so, the date and reason for such cancellation, suspension, revocation or refusal; shall include an affirmation by the applicant that all information set forth is true and correct; and shall bear the applicant's signature.
The application form may also require the statement of such additional relevant information as the Secretary of State shall deem necessary to determine the applicant's competency and eligibility.
(b-1) The Secretary of State may in his discretion substitute a federal tax number in lieu of a social security number, or he may instead assign an additional distinctive number in lieu thereof, where an applicant is prohibited by bona fide religious convictions from applying or is exempt from applying for a social security number. The Secretary of State shall, however, determine which religious orders or sects have such bona fide religious convictions.
(b-2)(1) In compliance with the federal REAL ID Act, Division B of Public Law 109-13, the Secretary of State, on and after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 95th General Assembly, shall issue to any Illinois resident who meets the requirements of this subsection (b-2) a driver's certificate that shall:
(A) clearly state on its face that it may not be accepted by any federal agency for any federal identification or other official purpose ("official purpose" being defined under Section 201 of the federal REAL ID Act); and
(B) use a unique design or color indicator that shall visually distinguish these certificates from driver's licenses and permits issued under the Illinois Vehicle Code so as to alert federal agency and other law enforcement personnel that these certificates may not be accepted for any federal identification or other official purpose.
(2) Any applicant for a driver's certificate issued under this subsection (b-2) must be at least 18 years of age and must:
(A) provide the Secretary with a valid individual tax identification number issued by the federal Internal Revenue Service or social security number issued by the federal Social Security Administration;
(B) provide a valid passport and any additional documents, as the Secretary may set forth by administrative rule, such that the passport and additional documents in combination shall include the following:
(i) a photo identity document, except that a non-photo identity document is acceptable if it includes both the person's full legal name and date of birth;
(ii) documentation showing the person's date of birth;
(iii) documentation showing the person's name and address of principal residence; provided that the Secretary shall not accept any foreign document, other than a valid official passport, for purposes of this subparagraph; and provided further that the Secretary shall verify, in a manner and form prescribed by the Secretary in administrative rule, the issuance, validity, and completeness of each document presented by the applicant, to satisfy the requirements of this subdivision (b-2)(2)(B); and provided further that the Secretary has the right to reject any document presented by the applicant that cannot be verified; and
(C) file with the Secretary of State proof provided to the applicant by the Illinois State Police that a set of the applicant's fingerprints has been collected (costs associated with this fingerprinting shall be paid by the applicant at the time of collection); and
(D) surrender all false driver's licenses or State identification cards in the applicant's possession.
The Secretary shall handle the surrender of these documents at the Secretary's discretion, provided that no applicant shall be subject to civil or criminal prosecution for the acquisition, possession, use, or distribution of these documents, and provided further that the Secretary shall destroy any relinquished documents within 24 hours of receipt and shall not maintain any records of those documents, except that this requirement does not apply if the Secretary of State can identify a bona fide law enforcement purpose for retaining such documents.
(3) The Secretary of State shall provide to the Illinois Department of Revenue all information, including the individual tax identification number, captured on the application. If the Illinois Department of Revenue determines that an individual to whom a driver's certificate was issued is not in compliance with any applicable tax laws administered by the Department of Revenue, the Department of Revenue shall request that the Secretary of State revoke the certificate.
(4) Any applicant for or the bearer of a driver's certificate issued under this subsection (b-2) shall be subject to any and all provisions of this Code and any and all implementing regulations issued by the Secretary of State to the same extent as any driver issued a driver's license, including but not limited to the mandatory insurance requirements and penalties set forth in Chapter 7, Article VI of this Code, unless otherwise specified in this subsection (b-2). To the extent that any driver is required by law to have a valid Illinois driver's license in order to purchase insurance to comply with the mandatory insurance provisions of this Code, a driver's certificate issued under this subsection (b-2) shall satisfy that requirement. Within 30 days of receiving a certificate, the driver shall provide to the Secretary of State, in a manner and form prescribed by the Secretary, proof of liability insurance coverage for the driver and for any and all vehicles to which the driver has title of ownership; if the driver fails to provide that proof within 30 days, the Secretary is authorized to suspend the certificate until the driver provides that proof.
http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?GAID=9&SessionID=51&GA=95&DocTypeID=HB&DocNum=1100&LegID=28896&SpecSess=&Session=
It says NOTHING about giving illegals drivers licenses--it simply decrees that anyone who has a Social security number or an ITIN number should have a license pursuant to the Federal REAL ID Act and if you do not have a social security number or an ITIN number and passport that checks out with the SSA or the State Dept, you will not be permitted to receive a license and will be subject to civil and criminal penalties. I would assume that will include deportation.
In fact, this will be a bad thing for the illegals--by submitting a fake SS number or stolen ITIN number, they'll expose themselves as illegals and be subject to prosecution.
For everyone who is reading this now...did you bother to go dig out the law for yourselves and READ what it says before you started going on about how these will benefit the illegals? Or did you just read the headline and jump to conclusions.
Part of the blame must lie with NBCnews, who obviously didn't even read the law before they posted this article or they'd have KNOWN it wasn't going to apply to illegals (who don't have a verified SS number or ITIN number.)
hey smitty what makes you think a true family man wouldn't work at a chicken plant? we have taught our children to get an education and they wouldn't have to do dirty work but what happens when all the jobs that take an education are all filled and you can't find a clean job. I think alot of people would do these jobs if needed or they have not truely been hungry. its your kind of thinking that you are to good to do dirty work that opens the door for the illegals to have a job. so please stop the i'm to good for that attitude
Amanda: Thank you for your thoughtful and thorough posts. I believe that many, although not all, of the angry hard liners on immigration are simply racists (most of them don't even realize it). The problem of undocumented immigrants is very complex and simple name-calling doesn't help. Such as the idea MSNBC carrying the torch for the undocumented workers it not true - in fact, the news article helps fan the flames of anti-immigrant by calling these people "illegal immigrants" - a misnomer.
One commentor suggested it was a scam and the state will round these people up and send them back to Mexico (I assume that is where he meant). a semi-full every couple of weeks. Just to get an idea of how silly that kind of thinking is that if you send 100 back every two weeks from Illinois, it would take 96 years to send all of them "back." The anti-immigrant people do not engage in reasoned thinking.
If there are 12 million undocumented people in the U.S. today, it will take a significant change in immigration policy, including an opportunity of legalization for many, to correct this situation.
If the anti-immigrant folks want to present a solution it should be based on an assessment of the reality of 12 million human beings in the U.S. - not on some preposterous image of "hordes of illegals invading our communities." This is not the Middel Ages, and the undocumented workers are not Mongols.
Amanda-2017567,
Instead of Spending all your time SUBVERTING THE INTENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, US CONSTITUTION, And US Laws; how about doing the same to the Anti US Hostile Nations.
Your long winded tirades prove NOTHING (This Proved Detrimential before):
The above was removed from the link below:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44255813/ns/us_news-the_new_york_times/?gt1=43001
Already proven that Illegal Aliens obtain New Mexico Drivers Licenses then go to other States with Reciprocal Drivers License Agreements and Fraudulently Establish themselves as Legal US Citizens (Residents, Residency) of that State, including the Right To Vote (Shows up in Databases further legitimizing claims to Residency and US Citizenship; previously used at US by Illegal Alien Violent Drug Cartels of La Familia, MS-13, MS-14, living at the US (Suburbs)).
UNEDUCATED. This is about the Loyal Citizens of Another Nation (Nationality NOT RACISM) ILLEGALLY sneaking into the US and Fraudently obtaining those Rights, Benefits, and Entitlements of US Citizens (money taken away from US Citizens as paid for by US Citizens as US Taxpayers).
THIS IS ALSO ABOUT THE INSURANCE CORPORATIONS PUSHING TO GET MORE PROFITS.
http://money.msn.com/investing/11-things-wrong-with-congress
Well voter fraud is a bigger issue to me than driving. Most illegal and legal residents do not vote because they can not. Most illegal alliens try to stay off the radar as much as possible. Hispanic US citizens are leaning more toward voting democrat with the hope there will be reform. This used to be the case with Repulicans. During the 80's and 90's hispanics voted more Republican.
Amendment XXVI
The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age. Congress shall have the power to enforce this law through appropriate legislation.
Throw in a free car too and paid insurance.
Amanda-2017567,
*********STOP POSTING YOUR ILLEGAL ALIEN ADVOCACY GROUP MANURE ON NEWSVINE'S "GET SMARTER HERE"********
You want me to click on your screen name and then find all your other manure Newsvine Posts that negate your own current Newsvine posts.
Especially, your fictitious emotive "Birth Certificate" "Adoption" nonsense (devoid of facts based on all 50 States and US Territories Laws).
Bill Crane;
Thank you for your thoughtful comments. yes, while I like NBCNews and MSNBC usually, on this one point I cannot agree with their views--by putting the word 'illegal' in the headline, they simply perpetuated the misinformation.
The actual text of the law states that in order to get a license, the applicant needs to have a social security number or an ITIN number AND valid passport--which means licensees are not illegal but legals with work permits.
Back in the late 1800's the railroad barons were importing Chinese workers by the boatload--the males to work on the railroad and females as brothel fodder. Signs were posted in towns along the railroad in both Chinese and English to make it easier for the workers who hadn't yet learned English, and that prompted a wave of public sentiments like 'If this keeps up soon we'll all be speaking Chinese.' We're going to end up being a Chinese colony.' 'These people are taking our resources.' Sentiment ran high against the 'yellow peril'.
In the late 1890's the US government banned all immigration from China. Then they emplaced laws that prohibited whites from marrying Chinese, prohibited Chinese being able to own property, set aside specific neighborhoods in towns and cities for the Chinese to live in (hence Chinatown in San Francisco. these laws were on the books until the civil rights movement of the 60's, at the end of which all laws based solely on someone's race, color, or nationality were abolished.
A hundred years later, its the late 1990's, and we see the same hysteria beginning all over again--but this time it's the ''brown peril' rather than the 'yellow peril'. Proof that we haven't really learned the lessons history taught us--it's not the incoming population that's the problem, it's how we view them.
What a great idea! Got a DUI? Just run down to Illinois and claim you are an undocumented illegal alien! Now you are driving again! Cool!
THEN POST THE ACTUAL TEXT IN QUOTES. NOT YOUR INTERPRETATION OR UNEDUCATED OPINONS (including misspelled "licensees" as proof of not actual Text of the Law.)
YOUR GRADE, Amanda-2017567: F MINUS.
The law now is that a child adopted internationally is automatically a citizen. However, back when I was adopted, the laws were different.
The internationally adopted child brought in under immigrant classification IR4 could be automatically naturalized at 18 if the following conditions were met:
The child had to have lived at least 10 years in the us;
2) the child must not have gotten into any trouble with the law and had a clean background check;
3) The child must have gone to school in the US and have proof;
4) The child must have been legally adopted.
I had all of the above except proof that i had been legally adopted--As I was never told I was adopted before Dad and Mom passes away in a car accident, and as we had no family who could vouch for the fact that I had never been told, I could not prove I had been legally adopted and so I was declared undocumented until I could. prove it--the government is not required to prove you are NOT a citizen, it is up to YOU to prove you are. it's very different from a criminal case, where the premise is innocent until proven guilty--when it comes to immigration, you're guilty until you prove you are innocent.
The laws now are not what they were back when I was adopted. If you want to verify the information above, you'd have to talk to an old immigration lawyer about international adoptions of infants the UN classified as stateless infants, whom the US brought in as IR4 in the 1970's.
See my post at 1.54.
@digital jedi
First & foremost, I do not belong to any political party. Never have, never will. I am white. There are many dumb white people. Also there are as many dumb brown people, or any other color you want to throw in there. I'm not prejediced towards any race, and never have been, as I have several friends who are not white, who I've always enjoyed. You can label this however you want (probably racist) but the facts are America cannot afford any more immigrants, especially ILLEGAL, UNDOCUMENTED ones. Our economy isn't keeping pace with the people who are here legally. The dream act folks, who claim it isn't there fault they were brought here, do not seem to get it. We know it isn't your fault. However, when you knew you were not here you did nothing to correct the situation. Did you report your parents? Your siblings? I know, you think I'm over the top. Nice try. I saw just this week alot of people on these vines cheering the lady who turned her son in to police, as he was going to go check out a movie. She took the initiative to do something right. The Illegals in this country have no desire to do the right thing
From what I've seen the illegals have no problem coming up with fake social security numbers, fake licenses, passports or green cards....... that's how many of them get here in the first place. None the less the key word here is "Illegal". What do these politicians and bureaucrats not understand about that word?
Amanda-2017567....."An ITIN number is assigned to an immigrant who comes in LEGALLY, can show proof of paperwork to the Dept of Labor and get a work permit, then the ITIN number can be used to have taxes withheld."
WRONG !!!
What is an ITIN:
"REGARDLESS OF IMMIGRATION STATUS" does NOT MEAN coming into the U.S. LEGALLY !!!!!!
NOW....can you please explain why the IRS has issued over $ 4,000,000,000 IN ILLEGAL PAYMENTS last year to ILLEGAL ALIENS (IMMIGRANTS) using their ITIN and claiming the Child Tax Credit for children, NOT THEIRS, living in MEXICO.
In spite of the article's seeming actual intent, the illegals issue remains hot. Apparently Illinois politicians are ignoramuses.
First, definition of terms is a major weakness: what part of the word do they not understand? Illegals who have sneaked illegitimately into the United States for whatever reasons, are breaking the laws of this land. And that is defined as criminal. "Illegal" is the word as criminal.
Second, whether adopted or just an offspring, the baby is the citizenship of the parents. There is no such thing as an "anchor baby." An adopted child is the citizenship of the birth parent until Naturalized, and he or she has to be able to fulfill the requirements for Naturalization one of which is to be an adult.
Third, "racial" profile is meaningless. Color of skin is meaningless. Many legitimate citizens are discriminated against for those things.
There is, however, a profile which is our law (unless Mr. Obama tries to change it). A citizen from another nation who wants to be a citizen of the United States, must meet certain requirements. Health, being a law abiding citizen within country of origin, and has held proven occupation skills in country of origin... have an effect.
But there is one feature not arguable: the ability to speak understandable English not marred by too heavy an accent, the demonstrable ability to read competently, and proving the ability to write legible and correct English.
Tough? You bet and rightly so. We do not want criminals from other countries escaping here (this is complex of course and exemptions are possible depending upon the crime). The same is true of good health; absent contagious illnesses. But their ability in the language of our country should never be exempt in any way.
The real profile for Naturalization should be, I think, the English-competence profile.
Otherwise put them on the biggest freighters to drop them off on Devil's Island or its former equivalent. And if they've been stealing jobs and/or welfare from our United States citizens, dock them for the fee.
Never in American history has our UNemployment percentages for our legal citizens been higher. And when you include those are percents of our largest population we've ever achieved... that is a humongous number of our own citizens. And I am not even including the exponential figures of Welfare demanded by illegals.
The story behind that would be too long for this summation. A huge reason they get away with it is that two many social welfare workers are not adequately educated or prepared to deal with the applications.
And some, of course, seem to think the illegals have a right to welfare... after all, isn't the United States supposed to fund the whole world?
@ Bill Crane
It is always so easy to be critical and judgemental of hard line anti-illegals unless you happen to live smack dab on the border in SE Arizona like I do. (Six blocks from the border fence to be precise.) It is always easy to be critical when you don't have illegals running the alleys behind your house every night like I do. Or when you have not been the victim of a home invasion by armed illegals like I have. Or have them trash and damage your property like I have. The only thing that keeps illegals out of my yard now is three large dogs! I have had to arm myself to protect my family and property because I cannot count on the Federal Government to do the job properly! And before you think about commenting how harsh I sound? take note of one thing. I am of Mexican/American heritage myself, with all emphasis on the American part!
Aw, lighten up. They can vote in Chicago so why not give them drivers' licenses too.
And the issue with my case is that I legally had no birth parents, they were either never found or no effort was made to find them since abandoned and/or murdered girl infants was common in the country in which the international orphanage was located, so prior to my adoption, I was considered 'stateless', or having no citizenship anywhere. Not evenryone is lucky enough to know who their birth parents are.
That country was also not one of those who signed the 1961 UN Resolution on the Reduction of Statelessness (one of the terms of which is that an undocumented infant/child found in that country for whom no origin could be found would be granted citizenship in that country.)
Here in the US, plenty of babies are found abandoned at churches, hospitals, police stations, fire stations, etc all across the country per the US's Safe Harbor law. Parents who abandon children generally don't leave birth certificates for the abandoned child because it's too easy to track the parents down. (Although the US did not sign that 1961 UN Resolution, infants and children found abandoned in the US are granted US citizenship.)
I will respectfully disagree with you here. The terrorists who flew planes into the Twin Towers could speak and understand English well enough to sign up for classes on how to fly planes and take them competently; as they were here legally and were granted visas, they must have passed background checks, etc. Would I consider them citizens even if they'd taken the Oath? No.
In my opinion, the people who should be considered citizens would be those who can take the Oath of Citizenship with pride and a full understanding or its meaning:
I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God.
There are plenty of natural-born US citizens who do not understand the rights and responsibilities of being a citizen--taking up arms to defend the country, for example; defending the Constitution (we see some of our public officials violating that one) and performance of work of national importance under civilian direction--like voting and jury duty. We all know someone who's tried to duck out of jury duty--heck, many of you have probably tried to duck out of it yourselves. many US citizens don't vote, and there are many who ducked the draft.
To me, a now-Naturalized citizen, being able to take this Oath, understand what it says, and be fully willing and able to fulfil it, is the essense of what it means to be an American. I believe anyone who does not agree with this Oath or who has violated any of its terms--draft dodging (except for religious beliefs) not upholding the Constitution, not performing one's civic duty, should not be considered an American. Just because you were lucky enough to be born here does not exempt you from the responsibilities outlined above.
And in order to understand this Oath to take it wholeheartedly, an immigrant has to understand our laws, legal system, Constitution, and civic responsibilities--which means they have to understand English.
Anwar al-Awlaki was a US citizen. Born and raised in the US, went to school here, lived here, paid taxes here. Then went to Yemen and recruited others to join the extremists into attacking us. Although he was US born and not required to take the Oath, I consider him an oathbreaker because he violated the terms of the Oath. I'm one of those who believe that all Americans of sound mind and body should have to take the Oath of Citizenship with a full understanding of its meaning; if you disagree with its terms you shouldn't be considered a citizen.
ldo:
Thank you for the correction as to the issuing department. The IRS is part of the Department of the Treasurey, not the Department of Labor, although the IRS does work jointly with the DOL on employee classification.
Now, as per your quote about ITIN numbers--even if the person came here illegally, they have to have received some kind of recognition by the government that they are here, hence the ITIN number. And the IL drivers license law, as it is written, states that if a person presents an ITIN number as proof that they pay taxes, they also have to provide a legal, unexpired passport, and that passport will be checked agains the ITIN number with the Dept of State, USCIS/Homeland Security, the Department of Labor, and the IRS.
It does not automatically mean they did not come legally, either. Someone could have come to the US legally and filed for asylum, and can be issued an ITIN number so they can work while they wait for their case to be decided. Someone could have been trafficked in as a slave by an international criminal cartel and are now waiting to testify in federal court against their traffickers. Someone could have come legally and been approved to stay, but USCIS hasn't sent their paperwork to them. It can take anywhere between 3-20 years for someone's application to get approved by USCIS, and there have been cases where someone was approved for permanent residency but still had not received their paperwork as much as 5-10 years later. And if they have not broken any laws in the meantime, why not let them stay and issue an ITIN number so they can work?
That story has been debunked.
The Child Tax Credit is part of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), and it is NOT a refund. Per IRS Publication 972, the child has to be a resident of the US, and the following conditions need to be met and verified via presentation of documents to the tax preparer OR submitted to the IRS if the person filing for the EITC is preparing their own taxes:
Rubio was illegal coming to the U.S. by Boat from Cuba, is this any difference ???????????
Marco Rubio was born in Miami, Florida.
The people who wanted to have illegals in this country were always,historically ,employers and usually employers of unskilled or low skilled workers.The political Representatives,both Republican and Democrat have always been reluctant to enforce laws controlling the problem of illegal immigration. Unions were always complaining of the poor enforcement of control of this . It has always been an economic lack of enforcement.The companies who require skilled workers usually obey the immigration requirements for hiring legal immigrants. The rules were and probably still are was/is that a company first must advertise in local newspapers for a set time,two weeks? then they must advertise state wide for a further set time if they can prove that they can't fill their requirements by these means they are then allowed to advertise internationally. The hired Foreign workers are then issued a Green card but the employer must keep them employed for a minimum of twelve months and the hired person must state in writing that they will not apply for social benefits for at least one year. So as can readily seen,it is usually the employer of poorly skilled workers who is the one who condones the illegal immigrant problem.
I must add,to the above, when an immigrant has been in the country for five years and the U.S. considers him/her to be a citizen then they are able to bring into the country unlimited blood relatives, so this legalisation of illegals creates another problem for all of the countries that are experiencing this problem. I would like to add as an aside to you liby haters,I am a Liberal Democrat!
listoire:
No, they can't apply to sponsor in unlimited blood relatives. Close family ties refers to immediate family members only--that's why there's been so much fuss about Americans getting married to a person of the same gender while overseas, then when they tried to bring their spouse over the marriage was not recognized. You can only sponsor immediate relatives--mother, father, sister, brother, daughter, son, spouse, spouse's children from another marriage...and those persons still have to pay all the fees and pass the background checks and wait for their applications to get approved.
Free Driver's Licenses today.........so, what the hell, let 'em vote in all local, state and national elections too....hell, let 'em rape, rob and murder too......give 'em a free pass to do everything they want. Go ahead you brain dead dolts in Illinois, let your politicians give away your state and SUCK IN every illegal alien you poor saps are willing to PAY FOR......ya made my day. Maybe some of these leaches will leave my state and INVADE yours.....
Whereswaldo, you're right, they already registered so many of them to vote for Bozobama, so why NOT bive them licenses and all else they want? Bozobama, the welfare, foodstamp, and illegal immigrant president! Good luck finding a job with this jackass running this country for four more years!
@BostonAccountant
Do you hear a lot of people making passionate pleas to stem the tide of Europeans into this country? My point is, you don't. If Pierce Brosnan gets a job at the local mill, I can guarantee there's going to be far less chatter about it than if the job went to Enrique Iglesias. There's a raging debate on movie forums right now over whether a fricken' fictional character, James Bond, should be played an actor who's still British, but a couple of shades darker than the previous ones. Heated, vitriolic debate over a skin tone of a fictional character.
The logic that doesn't happen, the reasonableness that goes out the window, the lack of willingness to accept demonstrable facts simply because they don't feel right, imply prejudice when discussing immigration solutions. And no amount of deflecting or denial will make it appear any other way. You also have to consider fact that just because your not racist, doesn't mean you don't have a few racist ideas. There's a difference. Most everyone does in some way (who hasn't made a joke about their own family from a racial or stereotypical standpoint at one time or another), and usually it's inconsequential to the overall decisions we'll make in life. But recognition of that tendency either informs or inhibits your ability to be rational about the subject. And right now, a not-imagined large portion of the white people in this country are acting on a very basic, very old fear that only manifests itself when a particular color or culture is the subject at hand.
@Ed-NavDoc
Sorry Doc, but when you said that illegals are running through your backyard every night, you officially crossed over into BS mountain.
Digital, If you had bothered to carefully read what I wrote you would note that I said they were running the alleys behind my house every night not through my backyard. I specifically stated that I have three large dogs that keep them out of my yard! If you want to accuse somebody of something, please have a good reason. Have a nice day.
Heaven forbid we should attempt to id the human beings that are living and driving amongst us. Far better to call them names and dehumanize them- and do nothing else to solve the problem. Maybe if we are lucky we can round them up and get rid of them at some time in the future. (End horror show)
Much better sooner than later!
With one of these "not valid for identification purposes" licenses they can apply for Jesse Jackson Jr.'s open seat, since apparently you don't have to show up in Congress to do the job, thus you wouldn't have to have valid identification anyway. Also, these licenses could be used to get a teacher's certification, since there's no interest in seeing students literate to grade level. I'm sure that a current political force will get the contract to print the licenses, probably the same force responsible for the names on precinct voter lists, insuring the future for other non functional representatives as Jackson Jr. proved to be.
I don't think purple should be the only color used for these documents however. Chicago might run out of grape jelly. By having a multitude of fruit colors and flavors for documentation, gang colors wouldn't be infringed upon, nor would the health concern for allergies arise.
What a poor example for future generations of Americans. And why are these LAWS not put to the American citizens to VOTE on? These law makers and their own personal agendas at the downfall of the USA.
Being here illegally should NOT be rewarded with citizen rights / privileges. Will they also be excluded from having the necessary insurance too? CA is a state that requires ALL motorist to have insurance, and yet I am forced to pay uninsured motorist insurance as well. WHY?? Isn't it the law that ALL have it?
Politicians and agendas. Pathetic.
I love the drivers lic idea for no other reason than it drives the right wing racists nuts.
What better way to know who they are?
Actually, illegals add to our economy, in case anyone cares. Also, IMHO, there a legals I'd just as soon see leave.
Everyone..... Hold up your Support Obama sign real high.... This is what 1/2 of America wanted... This election was to go give these "measures" the political backing and now we must live with it... saying elections have consequences doesn't even cover it... Illinois is broke now ... controlled by the Unions...I wonder how it will "improve" highway safety and "improve" the state? Has the left noticed the financial ruin that California is in? Have they noticed the record bankruptcies of municipalities there?
Well Dems... Keep showing us how you run a city, state, Nation... as a Republican... you are giving me quite an education... Show us how it's done.
Flame, I'm quite sure they have noticed what shape California is in. The problem is that the majority of leftist liberals would rather stick their heads in the sand hope the problems go away or ignore them all together. Thanks to them and the majority of Dems we are now stuck with it and God help our children and their children because they will be the real inheritors of this madness!
Why not, here in illinois they get everything else, for free, hell, let'em vote to, let's be the first state to say its alright to be here illegally, we will reward you for that.
ya get what ya voted for that simple. many of these clowns were just re-elected.
No matter. Why not give them licenses? I fully expect complete amnesty is a foregone conclusion for all the illegals already here in this country and extending to all those illegals that come in the future.
This blanket amnesty will only serve to accelerate this country being sucked dry, another foregone conclusion.
tontosh-2444879..............since you obviously do not know the diffrerence between State Laws and Federal Laws, maybe you should just refrain from posting and advertising your ignorance.
If these folks (politicians) had any morals or ethics, this would be absurd. But, of course, they don't. When are the people of Illinois going to get tired of being sold out by politicians seeking to take care of only themselves, and say enough!
You know this is just funny...perhaps Illinois could also vote in a mandatory quartering law imposed upon citizens to accommodate illegal immigrants while excluding legislators and union members...
We get the government we deserve and the government we vote in. It's really that simple. Garbage in, garbage out. This is not a politicians problem, this is a citizen voters problem.
We are tired of it, But, This state is run by chicago democrats, Elected by chicago and cook counties population, The quad cities's population and the St,Louis area's population, Need I say more, The rest of the state's votes DO NOT COUNT ANYMORE. We are broke and in debt at the bottom of the chain as states ratings go, we owe more than 89 billion dollars to the states UNION PENSIONS. As far as i can see, The DEMOCRATS have just F***ed this sate up, allowing illegals to swamp ours schools, our medicare system and welfare system all for votes. We the taxpayers of Illinois ARE fed up but we cannot out do the welfare in the heavily populated cities to vote them out.
Dandit61...you are exactly right. I finally got so fed up I moved out of there. I freed up over $500/month in my budget from state and local tax savings, and I've never been happier. My stress level is way down from not having to stay braced for the next round of crap Madigan and Cullerton have to throw at me. The lame duck they hold this next Jan is going to be BAD. They seem to hate average working people!
they re-elected a major share of these morons so i am guessing ....never......
Next thing you know, the Illinois populace will vote themselves a tax increase, going the way of Cali.
They should be required to at least carry auto insurance.
John...the point of them being illegal imigrants is that they are not here legally and do not see themselves as being bound by the laws of the United States. IF they go for insurance it would be under stolen identity.
You can't get insurance without a driver's license, and Illinois does have a mandatory insurance coverage law. So denying licensure doesn't force undocumented immigrants to leave, it just causes them to break additional laws and raises the costs of insurance for everyone else. And the roads of Illinois would be safer with more unlicensed and uninsured drivers? You can scream about their very physical presence in the U.S. all you want, but this is simply a public safety issue of concern to the drivers in the State of Illinois.
John and Bobby Ray,
You think because they are REQUIRED to carry insurance that they will? They are here ILLEGALLY, why should they bother to follow any other laws or requirements? What the hell does a "mandatory insurance law" have to do with anything? We have "mandatory" immigration laws, too. Fat lot of good that does. The illegals will pay for insurance for one month to get their license, and then drop it and drive uninsured. This will solve absolutely nothing.
So can I get tags on an 'undocumented' vehicle?
The measure doesn't say it will apply to the 'illegal'. It's for 'undocumented'.
While all illegals are undocumented, not all undocumented are illegal.
I'm undocumented by virtue of the fact that I don't have an original birth certificate. When I first got my license a re-issued certificate showing my adopted parents as my parents was accepted as proof of identity, but in the years since the law has been changed. If I were to let my current drivers' license expire I would not be able to get another one because I have no original birth certificate (people who are abandoning children at an orphanage don't usually leave a copy of the birth certificate with the infant.)
Amanda...in this case, the word "undocumented" is pandering to liberals and Hispanics because they don't like the term "illegal", although the Federal code specifically uses the word "illegal" when addressing illegal aliens.
Your situation is quite different from that of an illegal alien.
I have to obey the law but the illegals dont. I have to carry insurance but they dont. I commit a misdemeanor and I pay a fine, they commit a misdemeanor and they get money, a new license and a free ticket to this country.
Can you people not read. There is a huge difference between being here as a migrant worker, totally "legal" to be here as such, and being here "illegally", having sneaked in and hiding. This law is being proposed to serve those who are what is called "undocumented", in other words here working as migrant workers. Why not get your facts before you rant and rave about this.
Amanda
That is the crappiest spin on a serious issue as I have ever heard....
The liberal MEDIA WHORES have you brainwashed and got that word UNDOCUMENTED in your head because it SOUNDS less ominous and more POLITICALLY CORRECT then ILLEGAL.
EVERYONE IS ILLEGAL AND KNOWS WHO THEY ARE... and they are NOT undocumented... they are ILLEGAL AND HAVE ALREADY BROKEN NATIONAL LAWS.
Now as for your undocumented... you have internet and money to pay for it and a computer of some type yet you cannot get documented ??????????????? What are you just not caring or just too stupid?
Which is it??? Please explain how you have the MONEY to post on newsvine constantly yet are a UNDOCUMENTED AMERICAN CITIZEN? Just lazy? Just do not care? or better yet... you are and illegal child of illegal Aliens in America?
so if your "undocumented" how do you GET MONEY? ...let alone pay taxes and all that good stuff??
I got two copies of my birth certificate for 45 dollars in three days... obviously you are full of it....
Insurance. If the state law requires Insurance then they will have to pay. I know it is not a popular opinion here but what does being an american citizen have to do with a person having the ability to drive. Many American citizens don't qualify for driver licenses. If an illegal imigrant can obtain a drivers license then good for him. Maybe they need to speak English to get a license.
sic her shosyn
you are correct. good job
I don't disagree. But it is what it is at this point. They're here illegally but we don't have enough prison space or resources to send them home. If illegals are going to be afforded some of the privileges of US citizenship, there should at least be a price to pay.
How do you send 16% of your population away? The ones who should be thrown in jail are the ones who, for years, turned their noses away from the problem and enabled illegal immigration to flourish. If a government entity fails to do its duty, how is it allowed to exist at all?
tusconlib..I seriously hope you were being sarcastic with your comment. If not, I have some water front property you might be interested in...it's real cheap!!!
Not every illegal 'sneaked in' many are here on expired visas or they are in a f'd immigration litigation mess.
Amanda and Tucsonlib, time to wake up and understand that all of us are not asleep. Undocumented, illegal, etc. We all know what the law is written to do. It is to allow illegals to get a driver's license. You may parse words now and call it for the undocumented, but you truly know the purpose of this law. Next will be voting, social security benefits, then tax refunds with no tax being paid, medicade, Medicare, food stamps, umemployment benefits, federal disability payments.
The country of initiative has now become the country of give-aways. Elect me and I'll give you more. Sound familiar? Maybe like the last election? The Dems care nothing about legality - only the vote.
Undocumented means 'missing a piece of paper'. It does not necessarily mean illegal. All illegals are undocumented but not all undocumented are illegal. There is a difference but media doesn't often make that distinction.
Dad was a Vietnam and Korean War vet, Mom was a war bride Dad brought home from Korea. I was a stateless child they adopted from an international orphanage.
I don't have a birth certificate. As I said in my post, people who abandon children at orphanages don' usually leave a copy of the birth certificate with the child. This was also an international orphanage specifically for 'stateless' children (that's the official international term for 'undocumented') in a country in which girls are considered worthless, hence the abandonment.
Yes, you got yous in a few days for a nominal fee. But you also had to have a pretty good idea of where you were born, when, and you could write to the courthouse or state saying 'i need a birth certificate for an individual named ____— born on____— to __(insert parents names here.)____
My letter would read; 'I need a birth certificate for a baby girl abandoned at an orphanage between 1/79 and 5/80. I do not know what this child's name was, I do not know when she was born, I do not know how old she was, I do not know who her parents were, I do not know where in your country she was born, I do not even know if she was born in your country.'
Now if this were you, how would you go about finding a birth certificate for a child with no name, no birthdate, no parents, and no home country, simply found one morning on the doorstep of an international orphanage?
There is no hope that I will ever have an original birth certificate. I will never know exactly how old I am. I will never know who my birth parents were, if I have siblings out there, what my actual birthday is, and what my name at birth was if I had any. Americans take this having a birth certificate and other documentation for granted, and somehow it never occurs to you that others might not be as lucky, that someone could be born in a place where records aren't kept, births aren't recorded, and babies are disposable.
I am now legal, I have naturalization certificate, a valid DL (though i don't drive or have a car) and have always had a legal, valid Social security card. My citizenship was never in question for the first 18 years of my life, it as only when USCIS found out they lost my adoption decree that they declared me undocumented, but I was not illegal because the government losing a piece of paper is not a crime, nor did I come here illegally.
I (now) have a copy of my baby passport; my parents' application for adoption, copies of the checks they paid to the agency known then as INS, today USCIS, I have the adoption decree issued by the judge, and a re-issued certificate that shows Dad and Mom as my parents (it's customary in adoption cases that once a child has been legally adopted, the judge will issue a birth certificate showing the adopted parents as the child's real parents.) In times past this was sufficient to prove citizenship, but not anymore. Only the original birth certificate will be acceptable in my municipality to get a drivers license, and I don't have that.
Yes it is, but not in the eyes of many..
I was undocumented, not illegal, but for most people in the US, like the posters on this message thread,of the US, there is no difference between 'undocumented and 'illegal.
Most people don't understand the difference until you know the individual situation of the person in question. My case is a prime example of why a distinction needs to be made between undocumented, stateless, and those who are truly illegal.
And a few of the responses that have been made to my posts illustrate how people still find it easier to call undocumenteds like me 'illegal'.
It can be argued that giving them driver licenses makes for safer roads and more insureds, but what makes you think that they'll stop driving if the fail the test or can't afford the insurance? They're already breaking the law just by their presence. What's one more?
I'm all for immigration, but it should be based on the skills that the US needs as a nation, not wide open to anyone who wants to come here. For instance, I'm in favor of an automatic green card for anyone who graduates with a masters or higher in engineering from an accredited US university (no mail order, no for-profit schools).
It's not 'wide open to anyone who wants to come here'.
Back in the days when people immigrated to the US in the 1900's to after WWII, if a person wanted to immigrate they showed up at an immigration station like Ellis Island with the application, a nominal fee, and a list of skills they had and how they could contribute. If they knew someone who was already here it was helpful but it wasn't necessary.
Somewhere after WWII, the law was changed. now, if you want to come in, you have to have a close family member already here, or an employer, or a school to sponsor you in, you can't apply to come in because you're a doctor or scientist or whatever. It's become all about who you know, not about what you can contribute.
One of the solutions I see to the immigration problem is to simply rescind the law that says you have to know someone already here. let's go back to the way it was when many of your parents and grandparents immigrated through Ellis Island; let's focus on what the person can contribute rather than who the person knows. Europe didn't have many opportunities after WWI, and many of the brightest scientific minds immigrated to the US, and that skill-based immigration is part of what won us WWII (it as a multi-national team that built the bombs we dropped on Japan) and got us to our position today as a world superpower.
Amanda-2017567,
*********STOP POSTING YOUR ILLEGAL ALIEN ADVOCACY GROUP MANURE ON NEWSVINE'S "GET SMARTER HERE"********
You want me to click on your screen name and then find all your other manure Newsvine Posts that negate your own current Newsvine posts.
Especially, your fictitious emotive "Birth Certificate" "Adoption" nonsense (devoit of facts based on all 50 States and US Territories Laws).
But, regardless of skills, few were turned away, except for reasons of health. So, it was essentially a wide-open immigration policy. If you were able-bodied, you had an employable skill. Things are different now. We need a lot less unskilled labor. If we update our immigration policy to focus on skills that are in demand, we still face the problem of people without those skills still wanting to come here. We need to step up enforcement.
Barry:
Yes, it was back then.
Now it's all about who you know rather than what you can contribute. So yes, I agree with you in advocating for updating our immigration policy--instead of bringing in someone with no education simply because they know someone here, and denying a nuclear physicist entry because they don't know anyone here, let's make it skill-based immigration depending on what we need. There should be a list of professions with those we need higher in priority.
The sole exception to that would be adoption of infants/international children.
You cons don't learn. Don't mess with Amanda, She is smarter than you!
Tucsonlib, your distinction is totally illogical! According to your viewpoint there is a difference between being an "undocumented" migrant here working and somebody here illegally in hiding? Hello! undocumented equals illegal, whether they are working or not! That would be pretty simple and make sense to most people. It can be summed up in just words. Papers please!
"Holmes said supporters of the Illinois measure are talking with law enforcement officials to make sure a license for undocumented immigrants would not be used for fraud."
How funny! They already used fraud to get here, get a job, attend our schools, and milk our social services. Fraud is part of their daily life. Yet state officials think that they can somehow make sure that this license won't be used fraudently? I can't wait to hear just how that are going to do that.
Hahaha. People breaking the law will all the sudden obey the law and buy insurance. It is more likely the State will provide free insurance and driving programs for the ILLEGAL immigrants.
I Agree. The lying politicians will come up with any stupid rationale to justify their self interested position.
Are you freakin' kidding me??? Illinois is a joke and sad part is the USA is becoming one too. What happened to illegal immigrants following the rules to become a legal citizen..............like they did 30, 40, 50 or more years ago??
Yeah, actually, Wow-3058090, they would. Did you not read the article??? In New Mexico, uninsured drivers dropped from 33% (that's one-third of drivers - a huge number) to under 9%. When we're talking about 250 million people, that's a lot more who will have insurance when they hit me. I want that. I do not want to pay to fix my car if someone else dented it.
endora, so you have no problem with Illinois violating Federal immigration law and encouraging illegal immigration into this country as long as it might save you some money?
Sad. Very, very sad.
Endora,
Ever heard of NO FAULT insurance??? Or are you to busy pandering to illegals to think that far....and remind your insurance agent to explain it to you...because obviously you are VERY poorly informed....about insurance and illegal aliens in AMERICA
Hmmmm so you are saying New Mexico is lieing?
How are they violating Federal immigration law? They aren't encouraging illegal immigration, these people are already here.
Only about 1/2 of the states even allow no fault insurance.
Wow, I hope there aren't 250 million illegals here, more than 1/2 our population, that's more than I thought.
So encouraging illegal immigrants to obey the law results in 66% not doing it. Great odds.
When you knock down the barriers to criminal activity, you will get more criminals. They are called "illegals" for a reason. This is shortsighted policy.
Great step !! Democrats never cease to impress me !! Well Done !! Keep em coming. BTW, why different "visually distinct" with "purple color"??? make it the same or there will be racial profiling, which you wouldn't want.
...and buy insurance
That's what sealed the deal. The insurance lobby went for this and so will the legislatures. Who pays for it all when they get into accidents??
You (us the Illinois resident drivers)
The companies just raise everybody's rates
Insurance companies raise the rates on insured drivers to compensate for uninsured drivers.
The illegals aren't fools. The way the scam works is, they buy an insurance policy to get their drivers licenses (and license tags if required) and then they drop the insurance. They get a new policy when they need to renew their drivers license or they are caught via another traffic violation.
So while we pay extra for 12 months out of the year to cover the uninsured, the illegals get to ride around on our nickel for 11 months.
Hey, but they are such honest, hard working people.....
Illinois has the motor-voter registration. So after they get their drivers licenses, they can go down register to vote and apply for welfare. Is this a great country or what!!
Bob-620657 you have just hit the nail right on the head !!! People of Illinois you had better stop this it's bad enough you voted for obama ! But if you let this happen you will open the door to 80 million murderers rapists thieves into your homes, I remember when Illinois was a great state but now it's fast turning into the cess-pool of America, Take back your state and get rid of the Bastards running your great state into the ground..........................
"I remember when Illinois was a great state..."
For all practical purposes, Illinois is lost.
You can not vote unless you are an American citizen. Legal immigrants can not vote. You can only use your DL to vote if you are a registered voter. They use it to look you up not to register you. You have to be registered long before the election. Read the constitution some time.
Of course Jim Edger and the GOP wants this
They need their cheap labor to be at work on time and he's helping their cause. It's NOT only a Democratic fault.
Yep, no Democrat ever hired an illegal.
ROFLMAO!!!
we-oh we-oh we-oh......lemming alert.
Give them a drivers license, make them purchase insurance, etc. The only caveat should be that their drivers license is coded as being an illegal alien.
They shouldn't get a license. They should be deported. If stopped while driving without a license, impound the vehicle. Throw their sorry selves in jail. Make it DIFFICULT for them to be here, then they will LEAVE. But no... we just help them break the law, while any of us breaking a law has the book thrown at them.
Hey citizens of Illinois, California is watching you and laughing. Your budget deficiit will just blossom as soon as you begin to cater to ILLEGAL IMIGRANTS...But what do you expect from this state. "Illinois the land of Corruption". While you are at it, lower the voting age to 10, and allow dead people and cartoon characters to vote
I saw many "I voted" stickers in the cemetery ;-)
Wow, just wow. I feel bad for y'all, what's next? Good luck Illinois, y'all are going to need it!
Great Step Illinois ! But why "purple" and "distinct". Should be the same or else "Racial Profiling". Like the others said, give them the right to vote too, and a SSN. This will allow the sleeping members of the society to wake up and be accountable. BRAVO!
People will find a way to drive without a license even if they could get them. I suppose if the drivers license system changed to some kind of RFID key fob that is required to start a car...but even then, someone could borrow or steal someone else's and use that to operate a motor vehicle.
I propose eliminating ATX and going MTX only to step up the learning curve. If you can't learn how to change gears out of second gear, you're unlikely to hit and run...
The collapse of the ONCE great state of Illinois continues as they more towards a more liberal stance.
FOREWARD......off the cliff
It's called payback..........they sold their souls to this demographic and will forever
be in their debt. It's all about the votes.
Is it about revenue too? If they give out drivers licenses, they charge for the license. If the person gets insurance, the insurer pays a premium tax. The big question of all of it is "if", of course.
If the alternative is having people with no license and implicitly no driving skills driving...
That said, the cost of finding and deporting people isn't cheap. It would also have interesting effects on the labor market.
1. Cost of finding and deporting is not cheap??? You do realize we have 717 military bases OUTSIDE US SOIL... so that point is a load of crap. We can well afford to clean up ILLEGAL @!$%#S IN AMERICA
2. Interesting effects on the labor market? Yes many jobs would be open to AMERICAN citizens and the greedy corporations who hire them would have to pay a FAIR WAGE
Spin it how you like it but bull@!$%# IS bull@!$%#..... and giving illegal people in our nation ANYTHING is BULL@!$%#.
The most reason illegals want to come here is because they do not have the BALLS to stand up against there own CORRUPT governments and DIE FOR IT.
I do not wish to have PUSSIES from other countries not willing to die for their own contry, in our AMERICA, NOT willing to DIE FOR AMERICA as so many already have.
YOU EARN LIBERTY AND FREEDOM ...you are NOT just given it.
winsettz....
Have the current administration uphold their oath of office and enforce the current immigration laws on the books. That is, start arresting and fining everyone who hires illegals. Soon, no one will hire them. There will be no work for them. Next, have the current administration uphold their oath of office and obey the law of the land and stop aiding and abetting the illegals by providing them with welfare.
There will be no incentive for them to come here, and no incentive for those here to stay. They will self-deport.
Problem solved.
Laws are for chumps. regardless of the saying crime doesn't pay it most assuredly does pay and very well.
Illinois has been doing this with truck drivers for years. Now we can have more people who can't read English, and have no training on the road, driving all over the country !
You know I forgot about the CDL fiasco.
This is a very bad idea. These IDs can then be used for all kinds of criminal activities. Once again Illinois leads the way in corruption. The Federal Government needs to deport these illegal aliens. That is the law. We should not be rewarding them with the privilege to drive on our roads.
It certainly is a safety concern, so every single one of those illegal aliens should be deported back to whatever sh!thole they crawled out of.
since the current estimate of the numbers of illegals is around 40 million do you really think the number of illegals driving is a quarter of a million? you obviously don't live in california. since a large number of these illegals are illiterate how do they pass a written test? the masses from around the world are crossing into california----they may get caught once but they just keep trying until they succeed. california is in financial ruin in great part due to aid in form of health care / housing assistance / over crowded schools etc to illegals.. while i am sympathetic to the plight of the illegals i am not willing to see this country ruined by allowing millions to invade us destroying our quality of life.
Site your source, I have never seen an estimate over 20m and that was from a credible source and that number was prior to the recession. Post recession we have seen record numbers of illegal immigrants self deporting. The current estimate is 11.5m. Huge difference.
I am a citizen of Georgia. I want my own Illinois drivers license but I dont want to follow the rules of the state of Illinois. Can I get one?
sure the plan is to give em away at the voter registration sites.... ( let ya in on a little secret here, you must mark an "X" next to the word Democrat) and presto chango amigo, you are now a ...."documented".... illegal....
WHY?? more "legal" drivers that won't have insurance...good luck
Disgusting :(.... What part of "ILLEGAL" don't you jacka$$es understand?
the part about more votes and money........tends to block out all else......
You people amaze me. Where is your spirit of compassion and generosity? Are you all too perfect to cut someone a little slack? Just remember you didn't earn the life of privilege you enjoy.
Big Trouble- Compassion and generosity is reserved for those who actually enter legally. The compassionate thing to do would be to deport them all to let them return to their Country of origin with all their free education and bankroll saved from cash work and stolen benefits to help their homeland be compassionate. Why you could even go with them to help them get on their feet.
Big Trouble - you amaze me.
Where's your respect for our nation's laws? Its constitution?
Where's your common sense? Where's your wallet?
Are you too full of white guilt to call a criminal a criminal?
Just remember, some of us had ancestors that came to this country with NOTHING, they came here LEGALLY, they worked awful jobs for decades to give their kids a better life and several generations later here we are on the internet. They didn't come here for free health care or public assistance or to milk the taxpayers that were already here.
I enjoy the privileges that I have earned, built on the hard work of those that came before me just fine.
I know people who are here working and obtained green cards to do so....legally. They even have permission to drive as well. If I were to immigrate to another country, I'd try to do so legally, not sneak in and expect to get free stuff the people of that country receive only because they work for it. Anything the opposite of legal is ILLEGAL, therefore wrong. How hard is that to understand?
We have something in our law, called innocent until proven guilty. They aren't criminals until they have been charged with a crime.