Republican State Senator in Rhode Island Fights to Strip Immigrants of Drivers Licenses

On March 10, Sen. Walaska introduced the Rhode Island Driver’s License and Identification Security Act, a bill that would require anyone taking an examination or road test for a driver’s license, state identification card or permit (renewals and first-time applications) to provide two forms of identification. Of course, the DMV already requires several forms of corroborating identification for new license applications and a valid Social Security Number or "documentation (such as a visa) to validate (your) ineligibility for a Social Security Number," but these standards are executive policy, said Walaska, not state law. Making an executive order into state law would not place its guiding principles beyond repeal, Sen. Walaska acknowledged, but it would make repeal more difficult. Sen. Walaska said his bill would help synchronize Rhode Island’s General Laws with national security interests. According to Sen. Juan Pichardo, Providence, until federal agents deport the 5,000-plus illegal, undocumented immigrants currently living in Rhode Island, it’s the state’s responsibility to make sure they’re not driving around without licenses, instruction or insurance. "We had one case where a young man lost his mother (in a car accident). The person behind the wheel of the other vehicle was an undocumented immigrant who was unlicensed and uninsured, and the family had no legal recourse," said Sen. Pichardo. "The reality is, we, at the state level, have many people living here illegally who receive services and drive on our streets. But we’re not INS, we shouldn’t be dealing with the immigration problem, that should have been dealt with at the federal level. We just want a safer community - safer streets." [more]