NEWS
April 3, 2009
No special license for illegal aliens How can The Baltimore Sun seriously suggest there should be a "second-tier" driver's license for people who cannot prove they are in this country legally ("License to survive," March 31)? Illegal immigrants are too often the scapegoats for our social and financial ills. However, I can't help but raise an eyebrow at the notion that illegal immigrants have some sort of right to government services or to operate a vehicle. It is an affront to the people who enter this country legally and follow the rule of the law that people who come in illegally receive the number of free government services they already enjoy, and adding the right to drive to that list would only exacerbate the problem.
NEWS
By Julie Bykowicz | March 30, 2009
Applicants for new Maryland driver's licenses would have to prove they are in the U.S. legally under a pair of competing and contentious plans up for votes Monday in the General Assembly. Both measures would take Maryland off a short list of states that allow illegal immigrants to become licensed drivers and would bring the state into at least partial compliance with "Real ID," a federal security act passed after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Lawmakers and other officials hope that revising the state's licensing policy would reduce the pervasive problem of fraud and end the state's status as a magnet for undocumented immigrants looking for government-validated credentials.
NEWS
By Karoun Demirjian | June 27, 2007
WASHINGTON -- A comprehensive immigration bill that would boost control of U.S. borders and provide a path to citizenship for an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants already in the U.S. was brought back to life yesterday as the Senate voted 64-35 to resume debate on the controversial measure. The move, which had been strongly pushed by President Bush, gave hope to the beleaguered immigration bill's advocates that it was showing new signs of life and could pass the Senate by week's end. "We're back in the ball game," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican.
NEWS
April 9, 2007
Drug `gold mine' a plague on city I was horrified, appalled and scared to death reading The Sun's article "Defendant says drug `gold mine' lured him to city" (April 4). "Pennsylvania Avenue is a freaking gold mine," says a 35-year-old drug merchant. Now Baltimore is really on the map. But the question that jumped out at me was: What in the world is Baltimore doing about this drug problem? This issue lies at the root of the problems that plague the city. Crime, poverty, homelessness, education, etc., are all manifestations of the drug problem in Baltimore.
NEWS
By Justin Fenton | February 10, 2007
A Gaithersburg truck driver who authorities say was in the country illegally was arraigned this week outside of Pittsburgh on charges of vehicular manslaughter, an incident that advocates of tighter restrictions on Maryland's driver licenses said reinforces a troubling trend. Since November, at least three people have been killed by illegal immigrants who were issued driver's licenses in Maryland, authorities say. For the fifth year in a row, lawmakers are set to debate whether the state should continue to issue driver's licenses to those who are in the country illegally.
NEWS
By Gady A. Epstein | June 17, 2007
All Renell Francine Ray needed to stay on Medicaid was an original birth certificate and a valid state ID card that would prove she was a U.S. citizen and Maryland resident. Producing those documents might have seemed simple enough to Congress when it decided to require them as a way to block illegal immigrants from using the nation's health insurer of last resort. But in the world of bureaucrats and paperwork, Ray became entangled in a maddening Catch-22: To obtain her original birth certificate from Virginia, she needed a valid state ID; to obtain a valid state ID, she was told, she would need her original birth certificate.
NEWS
August 19, 2007
We want your opinions ISSUE: Anne Arundel County officials said they will sever ties with government contractors that employ illegal immigrants. County Executive John R. Leopold issued an executive order last week that will require businesses to sign an affidavit swearing they do not employ people living in the country illegally. Evidence that a company has hired illegal immigrants would allow the county to drop the contractor. Leopold said the federal government "hypocritically" tolerates such practices, but Anne Arundel will not. Critics of the measure include Gustavo Torres, executive director of Casa de Maryland, who said it had the potential to further discrimination of Hispanics and could hurt businesses that use immigrant labor.
NEWS
By Kelly Brewington | April 7, 2007
The Maryland Senate appears headed toward a bitter debate over a contentious measure that would allow illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition rates at Maryland colleges. Senate Republicans, saying the measure would reward lawbreakers, have threatened to filibuster if the bill comes to the floor. "This is terrible policy," said Sen. Andrew P. Harris, a Baltimore County Republican. He said while Democrats may have the votes to break a filibuster, he is doubtful they would try to do so. "I don't think anyone would want to expend political capital on this issue," Harris said.
NEWS
By Maura Reynolds | June 7, 2007
Washington -- Supporters of a bipartisan immigration bill rebuffed yesterday one of the most serious challenges, defeating a measure that could have denied legalization to many illegal immigrants and moving the complicated legislation a step closer to passage in the Senate. Senate Democratic leaders, fearing an erosion of support for the bill if debate drags on, are pushing for a final vote by the end of the week or early next week. The bill would then move to the House, where it is expected to face stiffer opposition.
NEWS
By Janet Hook | December 7, 2007
WASHINGTON -- One-third of Americans surveyed want to deprive illegal immigrants of social services, including public schooling and emergency room health care, a new Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg Poll finds. Even among Democrats, traditionally a party more welcoming of immigrants, 22 percent of voters surveyed would deny illegal immigrants access to services even as basic as emergency health care and public education. Still, in a sign of the ambivalence among voters about the emotionally charged issue, a strong bipartisan majority - 60 percent - favors allowing illegal immigrants who have not committed crimes to become citizens if they pay fines, learn English and meet other requirements.