Do You Think The New Driver’s License Law Is Long Overdue Illegals Not Understanding Driving Is A Privilege?

Arraynot found.What will make illegals happy police could begin using the "not federally compliant" license as reasonable suspicion to inquire further about a person's legal status ? Marie-Therese received her Maryland driver's license this spring, something her 15-year-old daughter might never do. The family illegally emigrated from West Africa to Baltimore four years ago, and a law that goes into effect Monday means new drivers who cannot prove their lawful status in the United States won't be able to get a license. "She is upset," Marie-Therese said of her daughter, who is a Baltimore high school student. "She told me, 'I want to drive, too.' " The mother, who didn't want the family's last name to be used for fear of being deported, took her daughter to Annapolis this year to try to persuade lawmakers to keep Maryland's status as one of just four states that grant driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. "What we want is to be like everyone else," she said. When her license expires in 2014, she said, she doubts she'll renew. She envisioned a scenario where police judge people based on their style of license. "Maybe they'll say, 'This one is for good people and this one is for bad people,' " she said. "That is absolutely a concern," said Ajmel Quereshi, director of immigrant rights projects for the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland. He said police could begin using the "not federally compliant" license as reasonable suspicion to inquire further about a person's legal status. Immigrants, she said, had hoped they would have until the end of the year and were shocked that lawmakers made the new policy effective so quickly. "It's cruel the way it was done," she said. Lawmakers say speed was of the essence to end fraud. During hearings this winter in Annapolis, MVA Administrator John T. Kuo told lawmakers that fraud cases, most of which involve licensing people born in other countries, have more than quadrupled in recent years.http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/b… I note no illegal spoke about fraud being used here just unhappy it couldn't be used

Tags: Drivers, Driving, Illegals, License, Long, Overdue, Privilege, Think, Understanding

This entry was posted on Friday, August 21st, 2009 at 2:52 pm and is filed under Q&A. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.