Friday, January 20, 2006

Bill would allow illegal immigrants to legally drive in California

It seems to me that we are better off if they have licenses and insurance and good cars. They are going to drive, why not make it safer for all of us? DP

By TOM RAGAN, SENTINEL STAFF WRITER

Santa Cruz Sentinel: WATSONVILLE — Nearly 10 cars a week are impounded by the Watsonville Police Department after drivers have been pulled over for some sort of minor traffic violation and officers discover they don't have a driver's license.

It's common in Watsonville and other heavily populated migrant towns, where hundreds, if not thousands, of undocumented immigrants have no choice but to get behind the wheel to get to work, even if it's against the law.

"We find that they'll buy their cars pretty cheap, knowing that they might get pulled over and knowing that their cars are probably going to be taken away from them," said Sgt. Saul Gonzalez, who's done his fair share of impounding in the past few years.

"It would certainly be helpful if illegal immigrants got licenses," he said. "Then we'd be able to track who they are and identify them, and it would help the state financially. The Department of Motor Vehicles could get more revenues from them."
Be sure to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.

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