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| Home Front: Politix |
| US House Passes Tough Immigration Law |
| 2005-02-14 |
| Placed on pg 1 because it does relate to the WOT. The U.S. House of Representatives has approved a controversial new law that would toughen regulations regarding the issuing of drivers' licenses, and make it easier for judges to deport illegal immigrants suspected of links with terrorism. Yahoo! (I hope..) With a vote of 261 to 161, the House approved the Real ID Act, taking what the bill's Republican sponsors describe as an important step in safeguarding Americans against future terrorist attacks. Last year's report of the independent commission that investigated security and other lapses before the September 11, 2001 al-Qaida attacks said terrorists were able to take advantage of system loopholes and travel documents, especially drivers' licenses. The Real ID Act, which still must be taken up by the Senate, directs states to ensure that applicants for licenses are U.S. citizens or are in the country legally. Judges would get more power in deciding on deportation, and applicants for asylum would have to show clearly that a central reason for their request was persecution due to race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group. Good, the Asylum laws have often been misused by illegals. The Department of Homeland Security would get new powers to tighten border security and track illegal immigrants. In debate on the floor of the House of Representatives, Republicans such as Congressman J. D. Hayworth, argued that the attacks of September 11, 2001 provided indisputable reasons for passing the legislation. "In the wake of September 11, in the wake of clear and demonstrable evidence that there are those who come to this nation with the intent of harming and killing Americans, who are bent on the destruction of our nation, and our system of government, at long last this body should take the steps necessary to preserve our security and our liberty," he said. Democrats contended that the legislation would have a chilling effect on civil liberties and the ability of people seeking to immigrate for legitimate reasons. Note the term 'legitimate reasons' and not 'legally'. The Dims are upset because it has a chilling effect on the illegal aliens. There is a legal and proper process to seek immigration into this country. Congressman Howard Berman called the asylum provisions of the legislation flawed. "If Section 101 (referring to asylum) becomes law, people with a well-founded fear of persecution as a result of these changes will be denied asylum," he said. "There will be no effort whatsoever to enhance our effort to protect this country against terrorism, The asylum laws have often been misused by terrorists and illegal aliens. but we will have struck a fundamental blow against a tradition which I think is very important to maintain in this country and that is that we are a haven for refugees from persecution, for political, ethnic, religious (and) gender reasons." Republicans also pointed to the September 11 attacks in promoting a key provision of the bill, which directs that a drivers' license in the hands of someone with a temporary visa would expire at the same time the visa expires. DOH! Republican Congressman Pete Sessions offered an amendment aimed at ensuring that once someone is ordered deported, they are speedily returned to their home country. "Sadly, according to our government's best statistics, only 13 percent of the aliens arrested entering the country illegally and ordered deported, are actually removed," he said. "As a result, people entering the country illegally and with criminal or terrorist intent have quickly learned that if arrested they can be quickly released on their own word, and that they can be confident in the knowledge they do not have to show up for their hearing knowing they will likely never be deported." The bill was opposed by many civil liberties groups and organizations working to protect Oh My! Someone call a WAHumblance quick! President Bush this week announced his support for the legislation, which Republican lawmakers had wanted to place in a much larger bill approved last year reforming the U.S. intelligence system. The Senate would have to pass its own version of the legislation, and the two congressional chambers would have to work out differences, before the law could go to President Bush for signature. I hope most of the measures survive. I think I also heard that this is volentary in that states can elect not to comform, but then they lose lots of federal money and their people may not be able to take trains, or planes, etc.... |
| Posted by:CrazyFool |
| #19 Now make it so legal immigrants have to register at the police station, so everyone knows where they live. I've had to do that in every foreign country that I've lived in. Had to show a copy of the lease, my passport, etc. They tracked down the building I lived in on the map and made sure it existed. Overstay your visa, and sooner or later someone will arrive to knock on your door. My foreign friends never believe me when I tell them how easy it is for them in the United States. Get this, they're actually afraid that INS will come after them! |
| Posted by: gromky 2005-02-14 7:20:07 PM |
| #18 .com: I'm with Johnathan. I've never really been a big believer in the comming Mexican apocalypse that people like Micheal Savage keep telling us about. In a generation or two Mexican's become Americans, save for better cuisine and a few words of Spanish. I have seen evidence of this in my own family, who are Redneck-Italian-Irish-Philipino-Mexican's. Mongrels, like any good bunch of Americans. Frankly, I am a resident of California who owns guns, speaks his mind, and runs a business. In other words, an enemy of the Donk state. As are most of the other California posters at this site. I do not trust the government on privacy issues and civil rights for a moment, not after what I have experienced here. Find another way to solve this problem. I don't want president Hillary Clinton tracking me at some point in the future. |
| Posted by: Secret Master 2005-02-14 6:30:06 PM |
| #17 Tough, my ass. I can tell without reading it it's not really tough if either house of Congress passed it. They can't handle tough. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2005-02-14 5:47:21 PM |
| #16 Frank, the enviros have become predictable to the point of self-parody. Do you think anyone listens anymore? I still think that the political opposition to stemming the tide of illegal immigration is rooted in motor-voter, absentee ballots, and the feeling of entitlement among certain groups to commit vote fraud. |
| Posted by: RWV 2005-02-14 5:45:33 PM |
| #15 nor does the California Coastal Commission. The enviros were up in arms today |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-02-14 4:34:34 PM |
| #14 There are some other little provisions tucked into this bill. One concerns a section of the security fence along the California/Mexico border. It has been blocked for years over environmental lawsuits. This bill says that any previous laws (e.g. ESA) may not be used to obstruct this wall, and that the courts have no jurisdiction over it. |
| Posted by: jackal 2005-02-14 4:30:34 PM |
| #13 "...add a biometric component to the driver's license, say a thumbprint (to be searched in the FBI/CIA files before the DL is issued)..." Checked the mag stripe on the back of your DL lately, TW? |
| Posted by: mojo 2005-02-14 3:03:55 PM |
| #12 Has there every been an act of terrorism committed in the US by someone here under asylum? Yes. 1993 WTC bombing -- Ramzi Yousef claimed asylum, then skipped his hearing. Next question? |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2005-02-14 2:36:35 PM |
| #11 .com-The only blogger I see against it on this thread is Jonathan and arguably Tom. |
| Posted by: Jules 187 2005-02-14 2:36:12 PM |
| #10 When's the last time you used your Passport to cash a check? How about anywhere else that the product or service wasn't travel-related? The driver's license is the defacto National Id - so that's where the goddamned effort must be placed. All this Big Brother fear-mongering. You guys scofflaws? You got something to hide? Bitch about security, keeping illegals out, enforcing immigration laws, but flinch like little girls firing a shotgun for the first time when the Pres and the Pubs try to put teeth into the key bit - the identification. Can't have it both ways, folks. Either you put teeth into the law and focus it where society looks - the driver's license - or quit bitchin' and whinin' about all the tax dollars and dangers. Go ahead, let your fantasy fears overcome good sense. Don't care more for your family and your neighbors safety more than your imagined right to be anonymous unless you say otherwise. Yeah, baby, that's the ticket. Sheesh. Go overseas to some truly unsafe place for a few years, see how it works, then tell me how bad this proposed law is, lol! |
| Posted by: .com 2005-02-14 2:16:45 PM |
| #9 "The asylum laws have often been misused by terrorists and illegal aliens. " Has there every been an act of terrorism committed in the US by someone here under asylum? |
| Posted by: VAMark 2005-02-14 2:02:23 PM |
| #8 National ID card? Yeah, I have one -- it's called a "passport". |
| Posted by: Tom 2005-02-14 1:17:23 PM |
| #7 The issue of legality should be the top talking point in Senate debate. Almost every American I know, no matter his politics, appreciates the argument that people who come here illegally are first law-breakers, and second are individuals diverting public monies, bureaucratic energies and economic opportunities away from legal residents. Illegal immigration attacks our basic notions of fairness and justice. Time to develop a strategy for how to counter accusations of racism, which is NOT the basis of American resentment of illegal aliens but IS what we will be hearing from folks against the legislation. Our largest group of illegal aliens, Mexicans, fit well into our country/culture. It's the law-breaking and the two sets of rules for immigration (one for Mexicans and the other for everybody else) that upsets Americans. |
| Posted by: Jules 187 2005-02-14 12:59:49 PM |
| #6 This "Real ID" driver's license component of the bill should be a deal-killer because this is just a back door way of instituting a national ID card. These enhanced driver's licenses can then be used as a sneaky way of instituting gun registration, keeping databases about the habits of law-abiding citizens, and otherwise abusing our privacy. As much as it pains me to say it, I'm with the ACLU on this one. |
| Posted by: Jonathan 2005-02-14 12:49:15 PM |
| #5 The Democrats are upset about the link to Motor-Voter and the corresponding reduction in new Democrat voters that enforcement of this bill would have. Hopefully Bill Frist has the juice to get this through the Senate in spite of Ted Kennedy, et. al. |
| Posted by: RWV 2005-02-14 12:44:15 PM |
| #4 About bloody time. Now all they have to do is add a biometric component to the driver's license, say a thumbprint (to be searched in the FBI/CIA files before the DL is issued), and I will be happy. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2005-02-14 11:40:43 AM |
| #3 It is voluntary. If you choose to continue issuing licenses to illegals, our State DL's will no longer qualify as adequate ID to board planes, drive in other states, etc... :-) |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-02-14 11:22:33 AM |
| #2 The Dims are probably also upset about the "chilling effect" that Bank Guards have on holdup men who are in the bank to conduct "financial transactions". |
| Posted by: Justrand 2005-02-14 10:53:08 AM |
| #1 And the illegals keep pouring into "my" state California, from Asia and Mexico. |
| Posted by: home on the range 2005-02-14 10:38:38 AM |