Starting today anyone who wishes to obtain a Texas driver's license must present proof that they have been residing in the State of Texas for at least 30 days. The 30-day requirement would be waived for anyone surrendering a valid out-of-state driver's license - but they would still have to show proof of residency.
The requirement of a 30-day residency is courtesy of a change to the Texas Administrative Code last April. The change is clearly intended to prevent immigrants from obtaining a Texas driver's license. As many immigrants move in with family members and friends they don't have insurance or utility bills in their names. As many immigrants operate in a cash economy, they don't have bank accounts.
The 30-day requirement only means that there will be more folks out on the roadways who will be breaking the law every time they get behind the wheel to drive to work. It seeks to deprive immigrants of the ability to obtain a valid picture ID.
Instead of creating a group of criminals by fiat, the state should be looking at ways to integrate folks into our society. Regardless of how you feel about illegal immigration, preventing newly arrived immigrants from obtaining a driver's license isn't going to solve any problems. It will just increase the number of people on our roads with a license or insurance.
IT IS WONDERFUL TO KNOW THAT IN THIS WONDERFUL COUNTRY THERE ARE PEOPLE LIKE YOU. WE "ILLEGALS" ARE IN THE MAJORITY. GOOD, HARD-WORKING PEOPLE WHO HAVE RISKED THEIR LIVES BY COMING HERE, THEY DO NOT WANT TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE SYSTEM.
ReplyDeleteWE WOULD LOVE TO FEEL WELCOMED, AS THE EUROPEANS WERE WELCOMED A CENTURY AGO. IT WOULD BE MORE PRODUCTIVE IF POLITICIANS WOULD FIND WAYS TO HELP US IN THE SAME WAY THAT MANY OF OUR "ILLEGAL" SONS & DAUGHTERS HAVE GIVEN THEIR LIVES FIGHTING IN FOREIGN WARS.....LIKE SOME "LOYAL AMERICANS" (CLINTON, CASSIUS CLAY AND OTHERS) DID. WE LIVE IN THIS COUNTRY AND WORK IN JOBS FEW AMERICANS ARE WILLING TO DO.
GOD BLESS YOU FOR TRYING TO OPEN THE EYES AND HEARTHS OF THE ONES WHO HAVEN'T LIVED HUNGER,FEAR AND HUMILIATION.
I read your blog entries about the immigrants DL and I have two observations that as a conditional permanent resident, an immigrant, and academic tickles my fancy.
ReplyDeleteI have quite a collection of "temporary visitor" and "limited term" DLs from Texas, having had to prove I am legal every year as an international student, and conditional permanent resident. According to my math I will need to renew the license probably three more times in a matter of one year and a half in order to finally receive a license with a normal expiration date and without being branded differently.
First with each renewal, every half year, or every year (students such as myself) or potential immigrants are asked to take the vision test, simply because they have to "renew" their licenses in person, and this automatically asks for the vision test. So while American citizens can renew online and not be subject for vision tests for up to 12 years, immigrants are asked to say the A, B, C every single time they are renewing. Now, I am not easily getting offended, but since I've been in academia for over a decade, one can read this attitude differently and be considered discriminatory.
The DMV could easily change the policy and not ask for a vision test every time an immigrant comes to show papers, since this is a matter of proving your legal status, rather than proving you can still see as well as an American, every single time. I am not sure if other immigrants have been annoyed by this nonsense, but I'd be curious to find out. True, once a DMV employee did not ask me for the vision test as she was following the same logic as myself, however the next time I went- about 5 months later - I had to prove I am able to see, once again.
Secondly I have had problems renting a car abroad, as renting companies want to see you've driven for more than a year. Since every single year I had to renew, I always look like i've been driving for a month, or two, or four. Also cops in countries such as my own want to see a license with an expiration date longer than one year. In other words the "limited term" DL is frowned upon not only by law enforcers here, but also abroad. Explaining how, and why it is limited term license why you are legal, just makes for an interesting experience abroad.
I wonder if the Texas Department of Public Safety would address these issues, if there were a strong enough voice against these annoyances. I am not intending to sue the DMV over such issues, but am curious to know if anyone out there had similar experiences/impressions, or I just need to chill, and waste several more days of my life in DMV offices, an experience that makes one a true American after all, a right of passage as my wife calls it.
Alas, Crisppian, the DPS isn't concerned about the convenience of people who need DL's. The only reason for enacting these rules is to harass immigrants - and those who look like immigrants. There is no reason a police officer needs to know a motorist's immigration status when making a traffic stop.
ReplyDeleteI would like to add to my post from August 2nd, this link http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/real-id-act-text.pdf .
ReplyDeleteI am not sure if this act is meant to be put into action in January 2013, or if it should be in effect but nobody cares/everyone is blind. My understanding is that as much as the US government is concerned, conditional permanent residents should be allowed to receive normal driver licenses like US citizens, permanent residents and refugees. Yet this has not been applied in Texas.
To that extent one would have to renew his/her license 2 more times before getting a normal, no limited term nuisance DL.
To make matters worse many states don't allow for a transfer of the temporary term DL for out of state applicants, which means more testing, more DL trips, more discrimination, etc.