Davis Signature Undermines Our Security, Electoral Integrity
Earlier this month, California Governor Gray Davis undermined our national security, criminal justice system, and electoral integrity with just his signature. When he signed California Senate Bill 60, legislation that gives illegal immigrants the ability to obtain a driver's license without verifiable identification, Governor Davis put the security of Californians, and all Americans, in jeopardy.
Governor Davis vetoed similar legislation twice before, most recently in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks. At the time, he stated the obvious when he said that "the tragedy of September 11 made it abundantly clear that the drivers license is more than just a license to drive; it is one of the primary documents we use to identify ourselves." Virginia, the state from which seven of the September 11 hijackers received drivers licenses, acted quickly to close loopholes that allowed this. Davis' action has taken California in the opposite direction and potentially makes California's DMV offices a magnet for terrorists seeking false identification.
Governor Davis and other supporters of SB 60 also argued that the measure would improve safety by forcing undocumented workers already driving illegally to pass a drivers test. This is an empty argument on its face. While we need to move towards a system that regularizes and legalizes the process by which migrant workers can gain employment in the United States, this measure goes too far and is counterproductive. It does nothing to solve the increasingly life endangering, and expensive, issue of uninsured drivers. And, in fact, by issuing drivers licenses without verifiable identification or background checks, SB 60 will open the door to identify theft, fraud, and other crimes.
Finally, the timing of Governor Davis' decision to sign this bill can be considered quite suspect when one realizes that all illegal immigrants that receive a drivers license will also be registered to vote. Put simply, this flies in the face of reason, that nonresidents would be given the ability to participate in that core benefit of citizenship -- the right to vote.
It's beyond unfortunate that Governor Davis felt it necessary to sign this legislation into law, and I believe it will have negative effects on our state and our fellow citizens for many years to come. It's my hope that the legislature, the people of California themselves, or perhaps our next governor, will reverse this terrible decision and restore the law to what best serves our security, our citizens, and our democracy.
