National origin preferences don't pass legal muster

April 7, 2003

ATLANTA: SLF President Phil Kent today warned Georgia lawmakers currently considering a bill to allow illegal aliens from nations in the North American "free trade zone" to receive Georgia driver's licenses that "government cannot grant benefits based on national origin any more than it can based on race or religion." Kent says that immigrants from other nations would be forbidden from seeking driver's licenses under the new law, a violation of the 14th Amendment equal protection clause.

"Last year, the General Assembly dropped a similar attempt to grant licenses to illegals based on a flawed proposal to allow those in neighboring states and Mexico to receive them,"said Kent. "Basically, this year's bite at the proverbial apple runs just as afoul of the constitutional equal protection provisions. State Sen. Sam Zamarippa, an extremist on this issue, is not serving the best interests of his constituents when he sponsors such blatant illegalities as proposed law."

Kent points out that, during last year's legislative session, he worked with then-State Rep. Mary Squires to drop her bill allowing licenses for illegals from Mexico and from neighboring states (North Carolina and Tennessee currently allow driver's licenses for illegal aliens), and instead called for a more robust "legal immigrant temporary guest worker visa program." "Illegal aliens are those individuals who are here in direct violation of federal immigration law," said Kent. "The state government should not 'approve' the presence of illegals with the keys to the kingdom of citizenship in the form of driver's licenses." Kent said that strengthening the provisions for legal immigrants through work permits and visas, as well as heightened U.S. border security and deportation of illegals, is a more responsible approach for dealing with the immigration issue.

Kent also points out that border security and illegal aliens have become a national security concern. "With no checks at all on illegal aliens, Georgia would give driver's licenses without any reference to Social Security numbers or basic criminal background checks required of U.S. citizens who apply for a license," said Kent. "Just today, the Homeland Security Department issued formal warnings about al Qaeda terrorists infiltrating the U.S. through our porous Mexican border." Last year, a group of Islamist radicals was detained at the Mexican border attempting to enter the U.S. among a group of Mexican border-jumpers. At least five of the terrorists involved in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks possessed driver's licenses from Virginia, which gave licenses to illegal aliens.

"This nation literally cannot afford to make a mistake on illegal immigration and national security," Kent added.

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