Tag: immigration

Common sense talk on state policy toward immigrants

April 2, 2013 at 12:53 pmCategory:Uncategorized

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In case you missed it, Jessica Rocha of the N.C. Justice Center has an excellent essay in today’s edition of Raleigh’s News & Observer on the absurdity of the proposal by conservative state lawmakers to prevent the state of North Carolina from making use of identification cards issued by foreign governments.

As Rocha writes:

“Some people who live in North Carolina can’t get a state-issued card. If they are foreigners, they can get IDs issued by their governments, just like Americans get them from ours as the country best positioned to confirm the facts regarding a person’s citizenship, age, complete name and address. For Mexican citizens living in the United States, regional consular offices process and issue consular identification cards. Also known as the “Matricula Consular,” it does not confer immigration status or eligibility for any U.S. benefits or privileges. It is a path to nothing more than clarity…. Read More…

McCrory misses another memo

March 29, 2013 at 8:26 amCategory:Uncategorized

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McCrory11092012Former U.S. House Speaker Tip O’Neill famously said that “all politics is local.” And right now, it appears that one of ol’ Tip’s leading disciples is Governor Pat McCrory. How else to explain the Guv’s repeated decisions to ignore national trends and double-down on far right policies that seem sure to alienate important constituencies to which his own party is trying to build bridges?

Last month, McCrory was doing his best to thumb his nose at the unemployed, the uninsured and the health care industry generally with his decisions to turn down billions in federal unemployment insurance and Medicaid dollars. He’s already made clear he has no real interest in reaching out to the African-American community with his statements of support for a mandatory voter ID law.

And now, in a move that is more symbolic than substantive, he has given a big raspberry to another community that national Republicans had been trying to court in the wake of last November’s presidential election by announcing that he’s closing the state’s Office of Hispanic/Latino Affairs. Read More…

ACLU praises decision to ditch pink stripe on licenses

March 22, 2013 at 11:57 amCategory:Uncategorized

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pink-licenseFrom ACLU-NC Communications Director Mike Meno:

ACLU-NC Calls New Design of Driver’s Licenses for Young Immigrants ‘Huge Step in the Right Direction’

New Design for Driver’s Licenses to be Issued Next Week to Young Immigrants Receiving Deferred Action Removes Much-Criticized Pink Stripe, Adds Clarifying Phrase ‘Legal Presence,’ And Will Keep Licenses Horizontal for 21+

RALEIGH – The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina Legal Foundation says a new design for driver’s licenses the N.C. Department of Transportation unveiled today for young immigrants receiving work permits through the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program (DACA) is a step in the right direction but that concerns about the licenses remain. Read More…

DOT will make drivers licenses for immigrants look second class

February 18, 2013 at 12:42 pmCategory:Uncategorized

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DACA drivers' licensesYou just knew there had to be a catch when new North Carolina Transportation Secretary Anthony Tata was dragged kicking and screaming to do the right (and undeniably lawful) thing  for immigrants granted the right to stay in the United States under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program last Friday. It would have just been too easy and humane to actually just give folks their licenses and let it go at that. Somehow, something had to be done to appease the anti-immigrant crowd both within and without state government.

So, here’s the stupid and unnecessary idea Tata’s people have cooked up: funny looking licenses. We are not making this up. In a move that would clearly make Arizona’s crazy immigrant-hating Sheriff Joe “pink-underwear-for-inmates” Arpaio smile, DOT will issue issue drivers’ licenses to the immigrants that will look very different from an average adult’s.  Read More…

Tata announces DMV will issue driver’s licenses to DACA-eligible immigrants

February 14, 2013 at 5:56 pmCategory:Uncategorized

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After long, careful review of the clarification from the Attorney General’s Office that immigrants with DACA status are “lawfully present” and eligible for driver’s licenses, Tata finally says yep.