By Joe Guzzardi
05/30/2003
Subversive California Latino Caucus legislators Marco Firebaugh, Gilbert Cedillo, Manolo Diaz and Fabian Nunez — traitors all — have a nifty deal going with their influence in the California State Assembly.
Firebaugh, et al have introduced pro-illegal alien bills that would be overwhelmingly defeated in a general election.
But these bills will never appear on a ballot — because of the venal special interest political system in the Golden State.
Without any direct input from the voters, this Latino Caucus legislation has either been signed into law by Governor Gray Davis or is on the way to his desk.
Californians get the fiscal and societal costs. But our voice has been silenced.
Here is the sickening line-up:
The arguments made by the authors of the bills are so lame that I am almost embarrassed to present them to you — almost!
* Firebaugh on why illegal aliens should qualify for in-state tuition:
"Many of the students that would benefit under this measure are children of parents who have been granted amnesty by the federal government and are waiting for their own applications for citizenship to be accepted by the Immigration and Naturalization Service. The majority of these students consider California their home and are expected to become citizens. [ PDF]
You haven’t experienced tedium until you've read 25 consecutive stories about how badly "Juan" wants to study neurosurgery, how "American" he really is and how, according to some open-borders goodie-two shoes hack, "our investment in these youngsters will be paid back many times over when they get their college degree."
As for Firebaugh’s assessment of the "youngsters" immigration status, VDARE.COM’s Juan Mann says, "No one can know. It is all a maze."
* Cedillo on why illegal aliens should qualify for driver’s licenses:
"Trained, tested, and insured drivers enhance public safety. Ensuring that all California drivers have access to vehicle liability insurance will reduce insurance costs for all motorists. Operating a motor is a vital key to participating in the state’s economy. Existing license requirements have "created an unfair and unjust crisis that curtails economic growth and productivity."
But taking and passing a written test in Spanish doesn’t mean that a driver can understand road signs.Nor is having access to insurance the same as going out to buy it. And issuing a license because it may make it easier to get to work doesn’t mean that you have a job.
And since the driver’s license remains the U.S. de facto national identification card, why under any circumstances would we want to give it to illegal aliens?
- Diaz on why the Mexican matricula consular card should be accepted statewide:
"the matricula consular can be an important tool for immigrants who have no other form of identification. It can encourage Mexican nationals to report crimes and cooperate with police. Immigrants may be less reluctant to report crimes if they have identification cards.
"Many are unable to cooperate because they fear being immediately detained for lacking proper identification. Police and sheriffs waste valuable resources trying to identify and process foreign nationals who are detained and lack proper forms.
I asked Los Angeles Country Deputy District Attorney Jan Maurizi if Diaz was correct that Mexicans might be more likely to report crimes and cooperate with the police if they had matricula consular cards. She said:
There is not a shred of evidence to support Diaz’s theory."
* Nunez on Latin American and Asian identification cards:
"This bill will allow consular cards to be used to facilitate any transactions requiring individuals to establish their identity, especially in this security- heightened post 9/11 environment.
If I read Nunez correctly: The best thing for the U.S. to do post-9/11 is to allow foreign nationals to use identification cards issued by their countries — in the name of our safety?
I don’t think so.
Nunez should read the Center for Immigration Studies Backgrounder by Marti Dinerstein, "Americas Identity Crisis: Widespread Document Fraud Threatens National Security." Dinerstein found that "Production and distribution of false documents has become a large and sophisticated industry. A wide variety of documents are involved, ranging from baptismal certificates to INS-issued documents."
Nunez’s bill would open up new horizons for document forgers. Would-be terrorists could purchase any type of bogus documents ranging from American passports to ID cards from Paraguay.To verify if Californians are getting a raw deal with the host of pro-illegal alien legislation, I spoke with first-term California Assemblyman Alan Nakanishi.
Nakanishi, the former Lodi Mayor, voted "No" on A.B. 25 and A.B. 522. (He wasn’t in the Assembly when A.B. 540 and A.B. 60 were voted on.)
Nakanishi has a unique perspective. As a first-generation American from modest circumstances, Nakanishi worked his way through college picking pears and grapes in the San Joaquin Valley.
Nakanishi earned his M.D. and became a major in the U.S. Army. Eventually, Doctor Nakanishi volunteered his skills conducting medical clinics in Baja and Monterey, Mexico.
Said Nakanishi: "There is no question that. given its constituency, the Latino Caucus feels free to do whatever it wants. Sometimes the discussions get heated, but they know they'll prevail."
"And," continued Nakanishi, "these bills aren’t the end of it. The talk now is making Cal Grants available to illegal immigrants."
The biggest problem, concluded Nakanishi, is that "people just aren’t very aware."
But there’s hope. On May 22, Colorado Governor Bill Owens signed into law H.B. 1224, the Colorado Secure and Verifiable Identity Document Act that prohibits the use of the Mexican matricula consular card and other non-secure IDs.
This is a major triumph for Colorado — which not that long ago was traveling down the same path as California.
The tireless efforts of U.S. Congressman Tom Tancredo, Director of Friends of Immigration Law Enforcement Craig Nelsen and Fred Elbel of the Colorado Alliance for Immigration Reform thwarted the Mexican government’s efforts.
Maybe Californians — and Americans generally — should remember that it’s always darkest before the dawn.
Joe Guzzardi, an instructor in English at the Lodi Adult School, has been writing a weekly newspaper column since 1988. This column is exclusive to VDARE.COM.
This is a content archive of VDARE.com, which Letitia James forced off of the Internet using lawfare.