[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 173 (Thursday, November 8, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S14200-S14201]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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SENATE RESOLUTION 371--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING THE 
 ISSUANCE OF STATE DRIVER'S LICENSES AND OTHER GOVERNMENT-ISSUED PHOTO 
                    IDENTIFICATION TO ILLEGAL ALIENS

  Mr. COLEMAN (for himself, Mrs. Dole, Mr. McConnell, Mr. Lott, Mr. 
Isakson, Mr. DeMint, Mr. Martinez, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Chambliss, Mr. 
Vitter, Mr. Alexander, Mr. Burr, Mr. Bond, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. Coburn, Mr. 
Graham, Mr. Gregg, Mr. Allard, and Mr. Corker) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 371

       Whereas some States issue State driver's licenses to aliens 
     who are unlawfully present in the United States;
       Whereas by providing official government-issued 
     identification to individuals who are in the United States 
     illegally, States and

[[Page S14201]]

     other government entities reward those who show disrespect 
     and disregard for Federal immigration laws;
       Whereas the very act of entering the United States 
     illegally shows disrespect for the laws of the United States 
     and should not be rewarded in any way; and
       Whereas issuing driver's licenses to undocumented 
     individuals presents a national security risk and enables 
     election fraud: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that States 
     should not issue driver's licenses or other photo 
     identification to aliens who are unlawfully present in the 
     United States.

  Mr. COLEMAN. Mr. President, I thank the majority leader. A few months 
ago, I stood on the floor of the Senate to decry the practice of 
sanctuary cities. Municipalities across this country had identified a 
loophole in the law and banned the practice of police officers 
inquiring about a suspect's immigration status, allowing cities 
throughout this country to become sanctuaries for illegal immigrants.
  I said that following the attacks of 
9/11, we made a promise to the American people to make this country 
safer; that we identified, on all levels, cracks in our system; and 
that we found when the left arm doesn't know what the right arm is 
doing, the consequences can be disastrous.
  I stand here today again to condemn another policy that flies in the 
face of post-9/11 thinking. The State of New York will join eight other 
States in issuing driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. New Mexico 
is setting up a program where they will doublecheck the illegal 
immigrant's identity with the Government of Mexico.
  Polish language newspapers have advertised the ease by which licenses 
from the State of Maine can be acquired. Tennessee recently stopped the 
practice of issuing driver's licenses to illegal immigrants in the wake 
of evidence that illegal immigrants from other States were coming to 
Tennessee to get licenses.
  To some, issuing licenses to illegal immigrants may seem harmless, if 
not commonsensical. If they are going to be driving on the streets, why 
not ensure that they know the rules of the road? The answer is licenses 
are much more than a permit to drive. The driver's license is a gateway 
document to a myriad of other services. Providing illegal immigrants 
with a driver's license affords them access to bank accounts, airline 
flights, and other resources that the 9/11 hijackers used to attack 
this Nation. Beyond national security, driver's licenses allow a person 
to enter a Federal building, vote in elections, and apply for 
Government benefits. There is also a considerable question of fraud--
when we cannot verify the materials brought to the Department of Motor 
Vehicles to establish a person's identity, which is certainly the case 
when we are dealing with noncitizens in an illegal status, you open the 
doors to corruption, multiple identities, and criminality.
  In the Senate, we have been grappling for several years with the 
issue of what to do with the 12 million or so undocumented people 
already in the United States. This Senator would like to find a 
solution that brings these folks out of the shadows. But the message we 
have received loudly and clearly from the American public is we cannot 
get the comprehensive immigration reform until we secure the borders 
and get serious about enforcing the rule of law when it comes to 
immigration.
  Similar to sanctuary cities, the issuance of driver's licenses to 
illegal immigrants is a setback for those who want to see comprehensive 
immigration reform because it shows we are not serious about enforcing 
the law. It flies in the face of what the American people expect their 
Government to do, which is to control our borders, know who is in the 
country, and appropriately penalize those who have broken our laws.
  I was at a coffee this morning with a columnist, Tom Friedman, a 
native Minnesotan, who addressed a group today. Immigration came up, 
and he said in passing that to deal with the illegal immigration, he is 
for a wall but one with a big gate. We need to remain a country that is 
open to foreign talent. We benefit from having those with Ph.D's and 
advanced degrees and what they bring in terms of job creation. We need 
to look at the issue of immigration and at changes in our laws to 
encourage the best and brightest to come and contribute to our economy. 
Until we reestablish the rule of law in immigration policy, we will not 
be able to get the political consensus that is needed to make any 
reforms, let alone deal with the 12 million illegals here already.
  Sooner rather than later, America is going to have to ask itself: Do 
we want to take immigration and the State of our Nation's security 
seriously? To the States that issue licenses to illegal immigrants and 
the cities that have sanctuary city policies on the books, we must ask 
the question: Why are you undermining immigration laws at the expense 
of the safety and security of this country?
  Today I am joined by several of my colleagues in introducing a sense-
of-the-Senate resolution to make the official position of the Senate 
that States that issue government identification to illegal immigrants, 
issue driver's licenses, are disrespecting and disregarding Federal 
immigration laws. The measure also finds these actions present a 
national security risk and enables election fraud.
  Our colleague, Iowa Congressman Tom Latham, has introduced identical 
legislation in the other body.
  I am a former mayor. I am, frankly, deeply concerned, that if there 
is another attack on U.S. soil and we find that the terrorist was here 
illegally, if the terrorist was able to obtain a license, if the 
terrorist was able to move freely about the country, was able to open a 
bank account, all without the slightest bit of resistance, we are going 
to have to take a long look in the mirror and ask how we could let it 
happen. We shouldn't let it happen. It belies common sense to have a 
policy of States to issue driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. It 
makes it difficult to maintain the commitment we have to the American 
people, that we are committed to enforcing the rule of law. It makes it 
difficult for us who want to move forward on comprehensive immigration 
reform if we get to that point.

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