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« Filling Shoes | Main | Follow The Leader » December 11, 2006Stop Breaking the Law!
Of course, some who think we ought to lay out a welcome mat for illegals think that's a bad thing, reports the Monday Nashville City Paper: "We've got a perfect storm brewing," immigration attorney Yvette Sebelist said last week at [Sheriff Daron] Hall's first Immigration Advisory Council meeting. "The problem is that we gave these things to people, now they're taken away," Sebelist said Friday. "In a way, we've set them up to be criminals now."Earth to Sebelist: They are already criminals. They set themselves up to be criminals the moment they crossed the Rio Grande, jumped the border fence, or "forgot" to go home when their visa expired. They are criminals 24/7 as long as they are here illegally. And if they don't want to commit another criminal offense after their "driver's certificate" expires, I have some good advice for them: Don't drive. It's sound legal advice, by the way. The lawyer played by Jim Carrey in that movie Liar Liar put it another way when one of his criminal clients called for advice on how to avoid arrest and incarceration. Said Carrey, "Stop breaking the law!" The City Paper continues: The criminalization of driving without a license is perhaps the single biggest fear of Nashville's immigrant community as it awaits the implementation of Hall's local immigration enforcement plan, called 287(g), said both Sebelist and local immigration attorney Elliott Ozment. For that reason, Ozment, who along with Sebelist is a member of Hall's Advisory Council, said he will propose that in adopting 287(g), the Sheriff's Office limits its immigration inquiries to certain criminal offenses that rise to a certain level of risk to public safety.I like Sheriff Hall. By the way, the City Paper reports that more than 50,000 driving certificates were issued state wide - and more than a fifth of them were issued in Nashville-Davidson County. If they really are worried about being caught driving illegally - and that leading to their deportation, I have another suggestion: Go home. And come back legally. Posted in Immigration
Comments
Do you think the expiration of those certificates will stop people from driving? Posted by: Anne at December 11, 2006 12:36 PMMostly not. Laws don't stop law-breakers. Laws only stop law-abiding people from breaking the law. Illegal immigrants are law-breakers by definition. Posted by: Bill Hobbs at December 11, 2006 12:52 PMA person who breaks one law is not necessarily more or less likely to break other laws. For example, did you obey the speed limit during your commute to work today? Did you employ your turn signals in the manner prescribed by law? Did you follow other vehicles at a safe distance? Did you come to a complete stop at all signs requiring it? Did you yeild the right-of-way properly? Did you have your hands at the prescribed position on your steering wheel at all times? Does failure to do those things make you a "lawbreaker" by definition? I find your definition of "lawbreaker" to be overly simplistic. Posted by: Anne at December 11, 2006 1:51 PMThere's likely a difference between legal licensed drivers and illegal licensed drivers. The first will most likely be responsible enough to carry insurance. The 2nd will be most likely to cause the first to use their uninsured motorist coverage to pay for the illegal activity of the 2nd. Posted by: Rick Forman at December 11, 2006 7:09 PMMany illegal aliens are still driving legally on regular unexpired driver's licenses issued to them in Tennessee before the implementation of the driving certificates program. And of course, some/many illegal aliens still have unexpired driving certificates. Meaning, a number of illegal aliens are still walking around with a valid state-issued document they can parlay into other forms of access. I hope Gov. Bredesen will continue his suspended issuance of driving certificates to illegal aliens and will also continue to restrict temporary-visa holders and some other legally present noncitizens to the driving certificates. As far as I know, the certificates are still being issued to these legal noncitizens, and I'm all for it. Permanent elimination of issuance of driving certificates to illegal alense should be part of state law, and the Republicans tried to get that last session, but the Democrats blocked it. Where I have differed with some Republicans is in my support for retaining the driving certificates program for legally present noncitizens. I don't think any noncitizen should be getting a regular driver's license. A new federal law affecting state driver's licenses and national security will kick in directly. Posted by: Donna Locke at December 11, 2006 10:03 PMPost a comment
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Some good news today in the battle to make Tennessee less of a magnet for illegal immigrants - all of the "driver's certificates" that the state of Tennessee stupidly gave to illegals a few years ago are set to expire by the end of March.