Illegal Immigrants: "Let's treat them like neighbors, not trespassers,"

Hometown » Arizona

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Illegal Immigrants: "Let's treat them like neighbors, not trespassers,"

Posted: 9/18/2003 8:25:21 PM EDT

There's just so much wrong here:

Immigrant licenses face Ariz. test

The Arizona Republic
Sept. 10, 2003 12:00 AM

Immigrant rights advocates hope a new law that grants undocumented immigrants the right to obtain driver's licenses in California will boost efforts for similar legislation in Arizona.

"Hopefully we can use this to convince the Legislature in Arizona to do the same thing," said Phoenix immigration lawyer Emilia Bañuelos, a member of the Valley Interfaith Project, a coalition that has lobbied in favor of the measure.

On Tuesday, Gov. Janet Napolitano said she supports the new California law and would sign a bill allowing undocumented immigrants to obtain driver's licenses in Arizona.

"I have the same position I do now that I had last year," Napolitano said. "Driver's licenses are not immigration documents. If that bill passes (in the Arizona Legislature), I would be happy to sign it."
.
.
.
"They are here, and they are in the streets," Bañuelos said. "This ensures they have gone through the process and that they know the rules of the road."

But Democratic lawmakers who favor the measure believe the California bill will have little, if any, effect on Republican lawmakers who consistently have blocked efforts to allow undocumented immigrants to obtain driver's licenses in Arizona.

"It ain't going to make a hill of beans," said Sen. Pete Rios, D-Hayden. "We are going to keep pushing for it, but I'm telling people: Don't get your hopes too high regardless of what New Mexico and California have done."

New Mexico began issuing driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants in March. Then on Friday, California Gov. Gray Davis, who is facing a recall election in October, signed a bill allowing undocumented immigrants to obtain driver's licenses, sparking hope among supporters in Arizona that lawmakers here will take a closer look at the proposal.

"I still don't think it's going to be that easy," said John Arnold of Tucson, president of Council 1088 of the League of United Latin American Citizens, an organization that favors the measure.

"But it will be very helpful when you have neighboring states that have done it and where we are sitting in the middle," Arnold said.

Senate President Ken Bennett, R-Prescott, said he believes California's law will have some impact in Arizona but probably not enough for the measure to pass anytime soon.

"It will make a little bit of difference . . . but it doesn't shift the needle from no to yes all at once," he said. He characterized the measure as a "Band-Aid" solution to the much larger issue of illegal immigration.

Instead of states issuing driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants, the federal government should be looking for ways to legalize their status, he said.

"Let's treat them like neighbors, not trespassers," he said.

But Rep. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, who fiercely opposes the measure, remains unswayed.

"The driver's license is the most acceptable ID in the nation. It's a passport in essence. It's almost legal status in essence. And when you accept that from folks who are not here legally or you accept identification that is not verifiable, you permit huge amounts of fraud," he said.

So we get TEN quotes supporting the idea of giving illegal aliens driver's licenses and only ONE quote opposing it - and that one's buried in the second from last sentence of the article.

Oh - now THAT'S some fair, balanced and objective reporting.

EMAIL the Arizona Repugnant writer here:
[email protected]

And WTF is a Republican from Prescott, Sen. Ken Bennett, doing favoring a Federal illegal-alien amnesty program for???

I also understand my US Representative Jeff Flake and Senator Jon Kyl are also big supporters of some sort of "guest worker" (amnesty) program for illegal aliens too.

Time for some emails and phone calls:
Jeff Flake - (480) 833-0092, [email protected]
Jon Kyl - (602) 840-1891, kyl.senate.gov/contact.cfm

Posted: 9/18/2003 9:05:24 PM EDT

[#1]

WTF is RIGHT!

Here's my quote: "Not only should we send illegals back to Mexico, we should stop giving them free health care/medical aid...and after we're done doing that, we should ship off the hostile indians to Mexico, too, and reclaim the reservations as public lands."

Posted: 9/18/2003 9:52:21 PM EDT

[#2]

Are you shittin' me?!! I can't believe they actually did that in CA.If anything, the BP should be at the DMV with the paddy wagon to pick these fu*ks up when they try to apply for their license.Do the illegals in CA even have to take a driving test? I bet they don't.Thanks The_Macallan for getting me all worked up now.

Posted: 9/18/2003 10:31:13 PM EDT

[#3]

Quoted:
Are you shittin' me?!! I can't believe they actually did that in CA.

What's news to me was that New Mexico started giving DLs to illegal aliens back in March!

I guess the Iraq War pushed it waaaaaay off the media radar screen.

Quoted:
Thanks The_Macallan for getting me all worked up now.

Sorry.

Now fire off some emails or phone calls while you're still pissed.

Posted: 9/19/2003 12:59:48 AM EDT

[#4]

Hopefully, those that have passed laws will now create a tonk vaccuum, and AZ tonk levels will diminish.

I can dream, cant I?

Posted: 9/19/2003 11:29:39 AM EDT

[#5]

Yeah, that's really great. I read some figures recently that the extra tax liability for the average Kalifornia family, due to the cost of illegals is about $1200. NapoliReno sucks, she'd probably love to see us follow California down the shitter in the name of Social Progress.
"they know the rules of the road.." Anyone that drives around here knows what a load of B.S. THAT is.

Posted: 9/19/2003 11:47:15 AM EDT

[#6]

We need to enact a five year ban on immigration and to close our loose borders.

Posted: 9/19/2003 1:46:29 PM EDT

[#7]

Your driver's license will no longer be a valid form of ID for purchasing firearms.

Sales procedures were changed a lot after 9/11 to prevent non-citizens from buying guns or making it more difficult for them to.

We use driver's licenses to establish residency and nationality/state of residence for 4473s...how can we do this if illegals are getting driver's licenses?

Posted: 9/19/2003 1:59:55 PM EDT

[#8]

This crap just pisses me off!! In about 5 years, I'm moving to Idaho, buying 100 acres, and building a 10 foot high fence charged with 480 volts. Because by then, the illegals will be almost that far north!!! I don't care how outraged and pissed the American public gets about this, we've started a landslide and I honestly don't think there is any turning back!!

Quoted:
tonk

HAHA- he said "tonk."

No one seemed to catch it- does everyone know what it means, or are they ignoring it?

Posted: 9/19/2003 2:02:20 PM EDT

[#9]

Quoted:
We use driver's licenses to establish residency and nationality/state of residence for 4473s...how can we do this if illegals are getting driver's licenses?

Use your "judgement".

You don't HAVE to sell someone a firearm just because they flash a DL do you?? - Course you'll get the ACLU and MEChA pitbulls on your ass for racial discrimination because you didn't sell a firearm to Jose who can't speak English and who looks like he just fell of a turnip truck (literally).

Well, just to be sure - if you have any questions just ask the guy on the left with the white collar and fake pearls - he should know the law pretty good:

Posted: 9/20/2003 6:39:20 AM EDT

[#10]

Quoted:
tonk

HAHA- he said "tonk."

No one seemed to catch it- does everyone know what it means, or are they ignoring it?

It is the sound a maglite makes when it comes in contact with a skull.

Posted: 9/20/2003 1:06:35 PM EDT

[#11]

Quoted:
It is the sound a maglite makes when it comes in contact with a skull.

Yep!!

Posted: 9/23/2003 4:40:18 PM EDT

[#12]

New California driver's license??

Posted: 9/24/2003 10:23:26 AM EDT

[#13]

One of you HTML geeks with too much time on your hands needs to make up a video game called "Bonk a Tonk", like whack a mole but different.

The player uses a cursor that looks like a mag-lite and when you bonk the tonk he says "aiee".

with the USBP seal in one corner, just to make it official.

D.
AZEX

Posted: 9/25/2003 9:37:19 PM EDT

[#14]

that is just FREAKIN HILLARIOUS!!!!

tonk is also the sound my head just made against this wood floor when i fell out of my chair!

you know, i bet if the border patrol just started shooting them as they tried to cross, that would stem the flow of illegal immigrants real quick...

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Illegal Immigrants: "Let's treat them like neighbors, not trespassers,"

Hometown » Arizona

Warning

Confirm Action

About AR15.COM

Stay Connected

Newsletter

Contact Us