Mpls-Issues tip: PLEASE trim/cut the previous message that you are responding to. The redundant characters make it harder for Digest readers to read and it needlessly lengthens download times. ----------- This has been an interesting thread. While it may seem like a local issue, it involves several levels of government, most specifically the Immigration & Naturalization Service. It's not suprising that there is a lot of confusion regarding immigration laws, since US immigration laws are second in complexity and volume only to the US tax code........I am only a little more familiar with these laws than the average US citizen. The logic behind the maze of immigration laws doesn't make much sense to me - I suspect it is long overdue for a re-write of the code starting from the ground up. Don't hold your breath on that one, though. Legal aliens, whether resident or non-resident aliens, are currently allowed to have a drivers license issued by the state they live in, provided they pass the test, etc required of everyone who applies. "Illegal" aliens are "illegal" by virtue of the fact that they are in this country without current documentation/visas - many of them could be eligible for visas, but for whatever reason, they don't have one. An acquaintance of mine who works for INS tells me that MOST of the "illegal" aliens were legal when they entered, but have remained beyond the period of their visa, thus becoming "illegal". Sometimes these folks have inadvertantly not renewed, and sometimes they are too afraid that they will be sent "home" to apply for renewal. Further, if the visa has expired, the US government will deport the individual if they have contact with a government official, and they can only apply for a new visa from their country of citizenship - which can present a major (often untennable) financial burden for many immigrants. The idea that "illegal" aliens should be allowed to get a drivers license is a noble thought (truly, what harm would that really do) but it ignores the fact that as an "illegal" any contact with the government could invoke deportation. It is true, that many state and local governments have policies of not assisting INS with information regarding undocumented aliens (a term I prefer to "illegal"), but it would only take one act of congress or the president to require states to make this information available to INS, and suddenly the INS has full access to the names, addresses, etc of all undocumented aliens with drivers licenses. This could be challenged by the states, but in the same manner as the feds required states to have seatbelt laws and a drinking age of 21, federal highway funds could be held hostage to force compliance. It is exactly the same problem of avoiding contact with government officials that makes undocumented aliens so vulnerable to unscrupulous landlords, employers, etc., because they have no rights in the eyes of our government. Some landlords and busnesspeople actually make a practice of preying on the vulnerability of undocumented aliens - more than a few right in Minneapolis - because they have no recourse at all. Fortunately, the current administration (in the tradition of the Reagan administration) is making efforts to allow undocumented aliens to become "legal", probably because they recognize the huge and irreplaceable contribution to the economy of this country by undocumented aliens. (or, maybe the administration is "compassionate".......) A huge number of changes need to made to immigration code to address this - among them some sort of amnesty for undocumented aliens who report landlord and employer abuses; we desperately need some sort of "bill of rights for non-citizens" in this country to at least allow basic human rights for undocumented aliens, who currently have no rights at all. Government "of the people, by the people, and for the people" needs to recognize that in the global economy in which we live, "people" no longer can be a term limited to citizens when it comes to basic human rights. David Piehl Central ______________________________________________________________________ The information contained in this message is private and confidential information which may also be subject to the attorney-client privilege and work product doctrine. This information is intended only for the individual or entity named above. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any use, dissemination, distribution or copy of this message is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender by return e-mail and destroy all copies of the message. Thank you. _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
