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Pastimes : The Boxing Ring Revived -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Lane3 who wrote (5690)	3/14/2003 9:11:21 AM
From: Lane3	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 7720

Yet more old business. Undocumented and on the Road Friday, March 14, 2003; Page A26 THE IMMIGRATION DEBATE once crossed over into many concerns: jobs, schools, relations with Mexico. Now it has mostly been boiled down to one: the war on terrorism, particularly now that the Immigration and Naturalization Service has been folded into the Department of Homeland Security. The narrowed focus tends to distort reality, as seen most recently in local debates about driver's licenses for immigrants illegally in the country. Since Sept. 11, 2001, Virginia has gone from being one of the nation's most lenient states to one of its strictest in this respect. Some of the hijackers traveled to Virginia to get driver's licenses because it was so easy to forge proof of residency there. But instead of merely closing that loophole, Virginia went all out and last month passed a law solidifying what the state has been slowly doing anyway through Department of Motor Vehicles rule changes: As of Jan. 1, 2004, applicants for a driver's license will have to prove they are legal residents, unless Gov. Mark R. Warner (D) vetoes the bill. Maryland, meanwhile, is considering going in the opposite direction. A bill sponsored by Del. Joseph F. Vallario Jr. (D), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, would instruct the Motor Vehicle Administration not to require proof of legal residency for a driver's license. On its face the proposal seems almost lawless; why grant a legitimate form of ID to someone who isn't supposed to be here? But the proposal makes sense, as 10 or so other states have concluded, for the safety of Maryland citizens. An estimated 200,000 to 400,000 undocumented immigrants live in Maryland and Virginia. They work in restaurants, at construction sites, on farms and in private homes. Many drive to work. Yet if they are unlicensed, they cannot buy insurance and police officers who stop them won't know who they are or where they live. That's why police groups support the Maryland bill. And a proposed amendment to require that all applicants' names be run through a federal crime and terrorism database should ease some worries. Yes, such a law would erode the unique privileges of citizenship. Some might even call it a cynical compromise. If so, it's a product of a nation's confusion on immigration. Legislatures bow to the demand for low-wage workers -- who, once here, are treated like shadows, though they contribute more in spending and taxes than they take in services. A solution might be to set realistic quotas for temporary and permanent working visas, but after Sept. 11 realistic policy on the federal level seems remote. Meanwhile, state and local governments are charged with the simpler matter of keeping the streets safe. Virginia Attorney General Jerry W. Kilgore is urging Mr. Warner to sign the Virginia bill, citing security and other concerns, and the measure passed the General Assembly overwhelmingly. But we think the governor should resist the pressure and veto it. © 2003 The Washington Post Company