Arizona Won't Give Dream Act Kids Licenses

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Arizona Won't Give Dream Act Kids Licenses
By JAMIE ROSS

PHOENIX (CN) - Arizona unconstitutionally refuses to issue driver's licenses to immigrants authorized to remain in the United States under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, civil rights groups claim in Federal Court.
The Arizona Dream Act Coalition on Thursday sued Gov. Jan Brewer and the heads of Arizona's Department of Transportation and Motor Vehicle Division.
President Barack Obama's administration announced the program on June 15 for "young immigrants who came to the United States as children and are present in the country without a formal immigration status," according to the complaint.
To qualify, people must have come to the United States before they were 16, lived in the country for at least five years before the program's announcement, be enrolled in school or have graduated or obtained a general education development certificate, or be an honorably discharged veteran; they must not have been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor, and must be younger than 30.
Gov. Brewer issued an executive order on Aug. 15 stating that "the Deferred Action program does not and cannot confer lawful or authorized status or presence upon the unlawful alien applicants" and that state agencies must "prevent Deferred Action recipients from obtaining eligibility ... for any ... state identification, including a driver's license."
Before Brewer's order, Arizona's Motor Vehicle Division "routinely accepted federal employment authorization documents, including those presented by noncitizens with deferred action, as evidence of authorized presence in the United States, and it routinely issued driver's licenses to persons presenting such documents who were otherwise qualified for a license, including noncitizens with deferred action," according to the complaint.
Now, the five individual plaintiffs say, they "are unable to obtain licenses to drive in Arizona despite being otherwise eligible for such licenses, making it difficult, if not impossible, for them to accomplish essential aspects of daily life, such as going to the grocery store, attending church, bringing their children or younger siblings to medical appointments or to school, attending school, and maintaining or obtaining productive employment."
About 1.76 million people are eligible for the program, of whom about 80,000 live in Arizona, according to the complaint.
"While the federal government has recognized that DREAMers should be given the opportunity to further their contribution to and inclusion in our society, Arizona has instituted, once again, an unconstitutional and unjust policy that treats these young people as separate and unequal," Nicholás Espíritu, a plaintiff's attorney with the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, said in a statement.
The plaintiffs seek a preliminary and permanent injunction to stop Arizona from "implementing or enforcing the state's illegal policy and practice of denying driver's licenses to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals grantees."
Plaintiffs are represented by three branches of the ACLU and three other law offices, including the National Immigration Law Center, MALDEF, and Polsinelli Shugart, in Phoenix.

http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/11/30/52716.htm
 
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Well, legally speaking, these kids are still out-of-status even though they were granted deferred action. The way this country is organised means that states have a lot to say to whom they shall extend various state benefits, including the licence to drive. Unfortunately, there is no official definition of which documents may serve as identification, as a result EAD may or may not be accepted as ID. It is not even accepted by the TSA which belongs to the same department issuing EAD cards. I really do not see anything unconstitutional about it.
 
it's sad because for arizona, it's just politics. all the stats there prove it, as undocumented immigration rose, crimes fell. they lie and try to brand people and divide them using race.
 
Are you trying to say that if we bring more illegal immigrants, the crime will go down? Damn, let's just open the border and let everyone in! :) And let's close down USCIS whilst we are at it.
 
no i'm not. i'm just saying there is no proof saying they cause more crime, though that's what is said by people that are against making nit a sensible system, and no correlation between the rise in their numbers and serious crimes. they are already coming in, and when the economy improves the numbers will rise again. by making a system that addresses the need for the labor and allows more temporary work permits for migrant workers from our southern neighbors then we have legal migrants not people working illegally. if they have the papers then they are not illegal. if they wanted to stay, when the economy went south the numbers of undocumented workers would not have also.

most just want to work and go home. there can be a path for those that prove themselves. why not? but making a sensible policy that addresses the problem will not increase crime. in fact it will merely give us an opportunity to address the true criminal elements that have been sneaking in. the private prison industry has hijacked this debate long enough. they could care less about all the tax dollars we have to waste on it just like marijuana. in fact, they actually count on it. imo
 
Let me be frank. Folks who come illegally from Mexico are not the brightest. Definitely, not the brightest Mexico can offer. They come from impoverished areas that often are ridden with crime. Often they lack the basic education. People who have more or less decent life in Mexico will not come illegally to another country. We all know that. This is not my subjective opinion - these are the facts. When these folks settle in a certain area, the crime will go up. It has no other way but to go up. Yes, a lot of those folks are hard-working people trying to make a decent living. However, because of their unfortunate background, they do contribute to crime increase. You just can't argue with that - it is true for every country on Earth, it is not only about Mexicans living in the USA. In any country, areas with impoverished population have higher crime rates. I have seen it all over Europe, and I can see it here.

I am all for legal immigration because I am an immigrant myself. I guess I am being selfish because I want other people to play by the same rules that I had to play. Dura lex sed lex.
 
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wait a minute. let's be frank. first off you obviously don't know any folks that have come here illegally from south of the border. i do and have worked with them. before i went to college i worked nurseries and right alongside many folks that had come over illegally. sure, most are what we would refer to as blue collar here, but that's the need. the need is for unskilled to moderately skilled labor. that's what is asked of from them, and that's what they do. they do not mostly come from crime ridden areas, in fact many come from rural areas that live on subsistence farming themselves and so they come here looking for a better life with the skills they already have. many of the folks that live in mexico's cities do not have the skills, as there is not as much opportunity for experience due to lack of exposure and lack of employment opportunities. these are without a doubt hard working folks.

you are lying through your teeth about increases in crime. the us government's own statistics show that outside of the initial misdemeanor of crossing the border illegally, illegal immigrants from south of the border by far are law abiding and do not contribute to the overall crime rate. there are exceptions, but they are called exceptions for a reason - that is because they are not examples of the norm. i've had this discussion before with people, believe me.

there is a serious criminal element, but it is not close to even a quarter of those that come through. most crimes that are contributed to illegal immigrants are done so through people that hide behind their conservatism, and it isn't until they speak that the truth about their ignorance comes out. the fact is those are usually second generation, third generation and beyond mexican american youth involved in gangs. i say beyond, because there were "mexicans" in america before the pilgrims' or columbus' parents were born.

my parents came here legally, as you did. but the reason for illegal immigration is not law breaking thugs, it is because of supply and demand. when the recession hit the numbers of undocumented workers went down significantly, why? no jobs. the biggest force pushing for more stringent laws and feeding the ignorant radio talk show hosts most conservatives on the issue get their info from is the private prison industry. they phony up studies and feed them to think tanks, the punditry and politicians. then you think poor brown people are coming to get you, "oh the horror!"

that is shooting from the hip bull fed by private prison industry bullet points. you assume a lot and in so doing miss a lot. if you would like to continue this discussion with links to facts that's fine by me.
 
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