Our headline should be included on the greeting motorists see when entering Maryland. No other eastern state welcomes with such open arms those who do not live in the United States legally.
That’s why Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration head John Kuo must support a bill this session to require proof of legal residence in Maryland to qualify for a driver’s license.
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Requests for driver’s licenses from foreign residents are overwhelming the state. Kuo said about 300,000 appointments were set up since 2006 for out-of-country applicants. MVA spokesman Buel Young said in 2007 there were an average of 6,625 out-of-country applicants processed each month; in 2008 there have been an average of 7,560 each month. Being granted an appointment does not necessarily mean the person received a license.
But those numbers show that as other states tightened their license laws, Maryland became the destination for illegal immigrants. At a time when the state has no extra resources, it must not divert personnel to processing applicants who do not qualify to live in the United States.
Besides, licenses do not ensure people will keep insurance current, contrary to what proponents of the system say. And lax laws run the risk of granting licenses to those who seek to harm the United States. Hani Hanjour, one of the 9/11 terrorists, fraudulently obtained an identity card at a Beltsville Motor Vehicle Administration branch. They also make it possible for noncitizens to vote as licenses are a key form of identification for registering. Last, Maryland must comply with the federal Real ID law within the next year or risk having its residents prohibited from boarding airlines or entering federal buildings.
States are meant to be the laboratories for democracy. But we must not rewrite federal law by fiat and undermine the security of the United States in the process. Maryland legislators should make tightening our licensing laws one of the first orders of business when they return to session next month.
