Illegal Aliens Get Driver’s Licenses, Still Complain

This one surely belongs in the “Awwwwwwwwwwww” department. We learn that “North Carolina To Issue Illegal Immigrants Driver’s Licenses… Illegals Complain It Has A Pink Stripe On It…”

It seems that in January 2013, North Carolina was going to deny young illegal aliens who have received two-year deferrals from deportation a driver’s license. That position caused quite a row among illegal aliens. Cinthia Marroquin, an illegal alien, said, “It’s horrible. Do I even get a job? Am I going to make it? What am I going to do? You can’t really get a job, basically.”

The N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) had said that it would grant driver’s licenses to those who received deferred action, but the DMV, in January, sought a legal opinion from state Attorney General Roy Cooper on how the program conforms with state law.

Now we fast-forward to the present. The NC DMV is set to issue driver’s licenses to illegal aliens on March 25, but not without some complaints. A bright pink stripe and the words “No Lawful Status” has caused a controversy. Cinthia Marroquin (the same person quoted above) says that she is now worried about presenting a license declaring she has “NO LAWFUL STATUS” at a police roadblock or while writing a check at the grocery store. “A lot of us are just scared. We just want to be able to get a job and drive to work. Having that license is just going to show everybody you’re here illegally, just buying a beer or writing a check. You don’t know how people might react.”

The NC American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has weighed in on the subject – surprise, surprise. ACLU attorney Ron Pinto said, “There is simply no reason for officials to stigmatize people who are in the U.S. legally with an unnecessary marker that could lead to harassment, confusion, and racial profiling.” Concerning legality of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) aliens, NC state law says that a driver’s license will be issued to anyone who holds valid federal documentation of their “legal presence” in the United States. So, according to NC AG Roy Cooper, a Democrat, DACA aliens are here legally, that under federal law, DACA participants have a “legal presence,” even if they do not have “lawful status,” and that state law requires that DACA participants be granted licenses. Republican Gov. Pat McCrory’s administration of agreed, announcing last week the DMV would begin issuing the licenses.

The Department of Homeland Security has said it is up to each state to determine what to do. Rockingham [NC] County Sheriff Sam Page said, “If he [illegal alien] has an identification, there’s a better chance he’s going to get a citation or a warning and sent on his way versus ending up at the magistrate’s office and ending up in the local jail. This will save both the DACA immigrants and law enforcement officers time and money.”

Well, illegal aliens in NC will get driver’s licenses. But are they satisfied? To quote John Belushi on SNL, “Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.” The fact that illegal aliens are getting a driver’s license is absurd enough. But to complain about it because it properly identifies their legal status is simply beyond comprehension. I guess that, for the estimated 1.8 million illegal aliens, leaving the US is simply not an option.

But that’s just my opinion.
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