Michel's Commentary

by Michel Dresser

12/15/2001  888WebToday
 

Tom Tancredo, a Republican congressman from Colorado, has been a leader in calling for immigration law reform.  His own party generally favors liberal immigration laws and the head of his party, President Bush, was strongly inclined to consider yet another mass amnesty for illegal Mexican immigrants.  Tancredo was one of the few prominent Republicans who had the courage to stand up and say, "Eleven million illegal aliens is more than we can handle......"

Tom Tancredo is not quite as alone as he used to be.  September 11th changed many things in America, and it certainly changed the way a lot of people think about illegal alien issues.

The Bush Administration, while it will still negotiate with President Vincente Fox over amnesty and other related issues, is not quite so resounding in the defense of this proposal as once it was.  From all over the country, letters to the editor and talk show callers exhibit a grounds well of popular concern over whether we have become altogether to lax in protecting our borders.

This is understandable.  It is estimated that there are over a million illegal Muslim immigrants.  It is certainly not to disparage Muslims in general, but to note the obvious--namely, that this represents a vast pool from which terrorists may be recruited.

There are four states in the Union who make it their official policy to grant drivers licenses to illegal aliens--Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Utah.  Congressman Tancredo points out, rightly, that this policy rewards illegal aliens for breaking our laws.  For, unlike the rest of us, in these four states illegal aliens do not have to present birth certificates or identity documents or social security numbers.  They are illegal aliens - they don't have them!  Instead, they are more or less on the "honor system," and get waived through on the basis of a notarized affidavit.

We have learned from what we know about the terrorists which devastated our country with their insidious attacks on September 11th, just how easy it is for them to get a drivers license, they can use that to build an entire social profile, obtaining everything from credit cards to car loans, fading nicely into the pattern of modern, middle class American life.

The Constitution says that states much give "full faith and credit" to the laws of other states, but just what that phrase means has always been subject to some very complicated interpretations.  Must other states recognize the validity of drivers licenses to illegal aliens by Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Utah?

South Carolina does not think so.  It will not grant reciprocal licenses to illegal aliens from those four states.  Congressman Tancredo is encouraging other states to follow the lead of South Carolina--and I am encouraging Congressman Tancredo!

And those are my thoughts.........
 

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