The Montgomery and Prince George’s counties delegations flexed its muscle in Annapolis this session allowing illegal aliens to with driver’s licenses in Maryland to keep them for at least six years and possibly 14 years with renewals.
Under the bill, passed in the eleventh hour, all license applicants after June 1 will have to present appropriate identification to prove they are in the country legally or receive a license that is not federally compliant. The legislation passed the House 76-6 and the Senate 30-16.
The Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration plans to cancel 8,000 scheduled appointments for immigrants applying for driver's licenses and has stopped booking them in advance of the law's proposed start date. Every driver in the state must present a Social Security card or other proof that they are in the country legally to get a license.
The legislation was an attempt by the state to comply with the federal Real ID Act. It will be interesting to see if the Obama Justice Department will challenge the law once Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) signs it.
O’Malley and other top Democrats in the state are betting their support pays off in votes after a mass amnesty is approved in the future. Several have said they were waiting to see what the administration would do before acting on Real ID which becomes law Jan. 1.
Former Gov. Robert Erlich (R) said that policy decisions made since he left office in 2007 have made Maryland “a sanctuary state” for a “couple of hundred thousand” illegal immigrants.
Maryland's new licensing system — with one license for legal residents and another for those who are not — rewards people who are not doing the right thing, Ehrlich said.
“Increased disrespect for the law, that's not really good for our culture or our country,” he told Gazette.net.
Comments
Interesting article.
But is it just my browser, or do other people also see the following stuff at the beginning of this blog post when they view it from the Washington, D.C. Politics web page:
"Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE"
Could there be a formatting error?
Then again, maybe it only shows up on my ancient browser.
I am glad the legislation reflects that people need to be in the country legally to get a driver's license. That's a good thing. Giving illegal aliens driver licenses just causes problems for legal residents. I mean, at one point, they were saying MD licenses wouldn't be able to be used to get on a plane if legistlators failed to comply with Real ID. So, I'm glad they passed the act in a way that helps real citizens, rather than hindering them, even if it was at the 11th hour.
And hopefully, lawmakers listen to constituents on this, and don't try to get waivers or make other changes later.
On a slightly related note, I know illegal immigrant supporters always argue that they want these licenses so illegal immigrants will get proper insurance and drive legally (though they never quite explain what makes them think people who haven't bothered to get into the country legally would suddenly want to start following the law when it comes to driving, but I'm digressing or just being mean--you pick). So, the argument goes you'll have more uninsured drivers in the area.
While that could be true, there is also an alternative. Perhaps they'll leave and go back to their own country. People who break the law (from illegal immigrants to robbers, rapists and murderers) often do it because the opportunity is there. They're not criminal masterminds, they're opportunist who take advantage of every soft spot there is. If we stop giving them opportunities (driver's license options, employers who don't/can't because of odd laws check immigration status, federal officials who whine it's too expensive to deport), then they'll keep taking advantage. But, if you stop with the opportunities, it's possible these people will do more illegal things (driving illegallY), or maybe they'll find life a little too difficult as an illegal and go home.
Imagine that.
Let's vote REPUBLICAN in 2010.
Let the DEMOCRATIC joint together with the ILLEGAL ALIENS
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