State legislative candidates in Carroll County have made their position clear: Illegal immigrants do not deserve Maryland driver?s licenses.
“Illegal is illegal is illegal,” said Michelle Jefferson, the Republican challenger in District 5, during a recent League of Women Voters state candidates? forum at Carroll Community College.
Republicans and Democrats running for seats in the state Senate and House of Delegate districts that cover Carroll County said they would support legislation banning undocumented workers from obtaining licenses.
“We should not be giving driver?s licenses to illegal aliens,” incumbent Del. Susan Krebs, R-District 9B, said in a recent interview.
“It?s a passport to other things: being able to vote, getting credit, traveling freely.”
Krebs, who co-sponsored legislation this year that would prevent illegal immigrants from getting driver?s licenses, cited a Carroll County court case that had to be thrown out after a juror was discovered to be an undocumented worker with a driver?s license.
Another bill addressing the issue is expected to be introduced again this legislative session ? and not a moment too soon, said Michael Hethmon, staff counsel for Federation for American Immigration Reform, a group favoring immigration restrictions.
Maryland should pass new requirements for driver?s licenses, he said, before the federal REAL ID Act takes effect in May 2008.
The law will establish national standards for issuing licenses and require applicants to prove they are in the United States legaly.
In Maryland today, people applying for a driver?s licenses need to show their date of birth, prove their state residency and be able to drive, said Liz Alex, lead organizer for Baltimore Worker?s Rights Center of Casa de Maryland, an immigrant advocacy group.
Her organization favors the current law until the federal government passes comprehensive immigration legislation, she said.
In the meantime, she said, preventing immigrants from obtaining licenses will threaten public safety.
“We are little bit scared of people driving without licenses and insurance,” she said.
“It?s unfair to say that since this system is broken, we are going to make everyone in Maryland unsafe.”
The following candidates voiced their support at the forum for a bill that would prevent undocumented workers from obtaining driver?s licenses: Republicans William Niner, Tanya Shewell, Haven Shoemaker, Nancy Stocksdale, C. Scott Stone, Kevin Utz, David Wallace, Larry Haines, Allan Kittleman, Donald Elliott, Larry Helminiak and David Brinkley and Democrats Ann Darrin, Frank Rammes, Timothy Schlauch, Rich Corkran and Anita Riley.
AT A GLANCE
Carroll?s foreign-born population: 3,046 of 150,897, or 2 percent
Source: 2000 U.S. census
