Immigration Law

MICHIGAN SECRETARY OF STATE: URGE YOUR LEGISLATOR TO CLEAN UP OUR MESS

By Greg Siskind

This is great. The Michigan Secretary of State admits they have a huge problem and she's actually urging Michigan citizens to push for legislation to fix the drivers license disaster:

Michigan has many outstanding residents who contribute greatly to our economy and society even though they're here on a temporary basis," Land said. "Businesses rely on these talented individuals as well. Under the attorney general's opinion, those who are in the country legally but on temporary student or work visas are ineligible for a Michigan license, though most still can drive using the license of their home country. We need to reconsider that aspect of the law to avoid unintended consequences for individuals or job providers. I encourage citizens to voice their support for our proposal and contact their legislators.

By the way, there's a little irony here. The Michigan Attorney General and Secretary of State are, as my friend Dan Kowalski told me, trying to out-Tancredo Tom Tancredo as they aim for big political points. Michigan law CLEARLY requires people living in the state to get a Michigan drivers license. Only people briefly living in the state would be able to use a foreign drivers license. If you're in Michigan for more than just a few weeks of a few months, you're required to get a Michigan drivers license. Now they're telling people it's okay to break the law. The whole reason this issue has become a hot potato is because the AG saw a way to use a hyper-literal interpretation of the law as the method to bar unauthorized immigrants from getting drivers' licenses. Now they're telling people not to read the law that closely. I'm sure the judge will have something to say about this. Hopefully, Michigan voters will have something to say as well.

Full post as published by Greg Siskind's Blog on January 24, 2008 (boomark / email).