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Our View
Safeguard
Virginia Gov. Mark Warner was correct in signing
the legislation passed by the General Assembly
prohibiting illegal aliens from obtaining Virginia driver’s licenses, effective Jan. 1, 2004.
Gov. Warner justified the new legislation as an appro-1 priate response to the threat of terrorism. The embarrassing fact is that seven of the 19 terrorists who hijacked and crashed the four commercial airliners on Sept. 11, 2001 had fraudulently obtained Virginia driver's licenses or identification cards. These documents were used for numerous transactions and misrepresentations leading up to the tragedy.
Interestingly, no one is suggesting that those residing in Virginia illegally be deported, only that they not be issued a driver’s licenses.
But there has already been a backlash — mainly from Hispanic and other minority groups, who feel that they have been unfairly targeted by the law, which they describe as discriminatory and would result in civil rights violations against ethnic minorities.
One might first wonder what part of the definition of “illegal” those folks don’t understand. Along with the rights of U.S. citizenship come certain responsibilities. Illegal aliens can’t have it both ways.
There are many legal aliens in this country who have done what is required of them, but cannot stay here permanently. It is the law. Is it fair that they must go, but those wbo have never played by the rules can stay?
The pressure groups complaining that this commonsense law will cause their undocumented brethren to suffer “unfair and degrading treatment” have shown that they have no real appreciation of rule of law — or fairness.
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