Good for Utah!

[ScreamingEagle]

Utah passed a bill that prevents illegals from driving in their state. If every state did the same thing it might put some real pressure on the Federal government to actually do something to reduce the illegal immigration as they will not be able to become assimilated as easily. Or is this just dreaming? Are we going to wind up with some sort of national drivers license instead?

http://kutv.com/topstories/local_story_060212034.html

The Utah Legislature was one step away Tuesday from taking driver's licenses away from foreign nationals who can't produce a Social Security number and issuing them a driving ``privilege'' card instead.

The House sent the bill back to the Utah Senate, which already approved it, with an amendment requiring anyone to prove Utah residency to obtain the state driver's license.

The Senate will accept the amendment, said the bill sponsor, Sen. Curtis Bramble, R-Provo, and Gov. Jon Huntsman has said he'll sign the measure.

The bill keeps undocumented immigrants from obtaining driver's licenses once Huntsman signs the bill, when it starts revoking licenses already held by foreign nationals on their birthday.

The new driving privilege card couldn't be used as official identification to board a plane, open a bank account, or trade for a license in another state. It would have to be renewed annually, and it would have different fonts and colors than Utah's regular blue-colored driver's license _ with bold letters reading, ``FOR DRIVING PRIVILEGES ONLY _ NOT VALID FOR IDENTIFICATION.''

The House and Senate each mustered more than the two-thirds vote needed to make the bill take effect as soon as Huntsman signs it instead of July 1. That will avoid a ``run on the bank'' by undocumented workers seeking to obtain a license valid until it expires with their birthday, Bramble said.

The Legislature gave final approval Tuesday to another measure that lets legal immigrants hold on to their Utah license. That bill, sponsored by Rep. Curtis Oda, R-Clearfield, allows visiting military personnel, exchange students and visiting athletes who can prove Utah residency to keep their license until their visas expire.

Legislators said they were alarmed when an investigation by their auditor general found some evidence of fraud among 58,000 undocumented workers with Utah driver's licenses. Some non-citizens were able to use the licenses to register to vote and cast ballots at the polls. Representatives said they've since learned some undocumented immigrants were using their driver's license to buy guns.

Rep. David Ure, R-Kamas, said it was his bill four years ago that allowed immigrants to get a Utah driver's license using a tax identification number, which would no longer be possible under the new bill.

Ure, a rancher and dairy farmer, employs immigrants on his farm.

``We have a work force here that keeps our cost of living low, and we extort them as labor. I use that word very strongly,'' said Ure, who said he was reluctantly dropping his fight to let foreign nationals keep their licenses because of homeland security reasons.

``If we have people voting, buying guns, it was never my intention for that to happen,'' said Ure, accusing Congress of failing to solve the country's immigration problems.

Hundreds of immigrants rallied at the Capitol last week to oppose the driving privilege card, saying it amounted to second-class privileges.

Tony Yapias, former director of Utah's Office of Hispanic Affairs, said the restricted cards would make life difficult for undocumented workers willing to take American jobs at low wages. He said it would encourage racial profiling and allow police to corral undocumented people for deportation.

Yapias said undocumented immigrants holding other states' licenses could still trade them in for a Utah license, denying licenses only to some foreigners already in Utah.

``There seems to be more questions than there are answers. Why are we rushing for the sake of political gain to say, 'We stomped on illegals'? What they need to do is study it,'' Yapias said Tuesday.

There was a poignant irony to the Legislature's taking action that would have pulled a driver's license from a Utah Marine who was killed in Iraq last September.

The Legislature just Monday honored Marine Lance Cpl. Cesar F. Machado-Olmos, 20, of Spanish Fork, Utah, and eight other Utah soldiers killed in Iraq or Afghanistan since 2003.

Machado-Olmos was an undocumented immigrant, said Rep. David Litvack, D-Salt Lake City.

He deserved citizenship ``but that's a federal issue,'' said Rep. Rebecca Lockhart, R-Provo. ``We can't do anything about it, but we can address a state issue.''

Re the House Bill:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/na...=bal-nationworld-headlines&ctrack=1&cset=true