Maine's Lax License Laws
For illegal immigrants looking to obtain "documentation" here in the U.S., getting a driver's license in Maine is a good place to start, according to WMTW. Back in March, Brazilian Guilherme Malaquias, whose tourist visa expired almost two years ago, drove another Brazilian illegal immigrant from Massachusetts up to Biddeford, Maine, where they were arrested after attempting to obtain a drivers license. But wait, there's more: According to the Bangor Daily News, a federal immigration agent claims Malaquias has allegedly transported other illegal immigrants on day trips from Massachusetts to Maine to get licenses. The Biddeford case is similar to one that transpired last month, when Anderson Dos Santos, a Brazilian from New Jersey, was arrested at the motor vehicle bureau in Augusta after he allegedly brought two women to Maine to get driver's licenses. Dos Santos told court officials that "Maine is known among Brazilians for having lax rules for issuing drivers licenses." Maine requires neither proof of citizenship nor proof of residency from applicants, but the state legislature is "considering" the idea of changing the rules to require proof of residency. Little wonder that the Feds are "pushing" Maine to conform to the Real ID Act of 2005, which establishes new national standards for state-issued driver licenses.
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"Real ID is just another fed power grab." No, national defense (i.e., homeland security) is an obligation imposed by the Constitution on the federal government. It'd be nice if Maine would cooperate. "I’d rather deal with insured, licensed illegal immigrant drivers." Good luck finding one. The way it works here is, they go to an insurance agent for a policy with the premiums paid monthly. They get the insurance card, show it to obtain a tag, then cancel the policy (assuming the first month's premium wasn't paid with a bogus check). Why buy insurance if you're driving a beater, have little money to be sued for, and can easily skip to another state and get a new identity? "I remain confused as to why we have all these anti-terrorist laws and plans yet nobody is guarding the border effectively?" Well, one reason is some people think there should be more illegal aliens in the U.S.
I am sympathetic to the privacy folks, but I really can't get the anti-identification thing. Would a single card be really that more oppressive than the several forms of id we need to have to get things done now?
Anyone who wants to do something about illegal immigration should join numbersusa.com. They have alerts when legislation comes up; and all you have to do is click, and letters get faxed to your rep and/or senators.
There's an update to this story HERE. :-)