Millions of illegal aliens, including convicted criminals, to be issued California state IDs



Not only will California likely have illegal aliens soon serving as police officers, it will now be the first state in the union to allow criminal non-citizens to obtain a non-licensed, standard identification card. Passed by the California state assembly on August 30, the so-called "California ID for All" bill (AB 1766) was signed into law on Friday by Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Newsom's office touted the move as a "critical step for inclusion." He stated that California is "a state of refuge – a majority-minority state, where 27 percent of us are immigrants." He suggested further that the conferring of IDs by the Department of Motor Vehicles to criminal non-citizens will help make the state stronger.

Democrat Assemblyman Mark Stone (D), who introduced the bill, claimed that it would bring "equity to those who have been unable to access basic life essentials because they have no legally recognized identification."

Illegal alien drivers have been able to acquire licenses since 2015. Over 1 million of the estimated 2.7 million illegal aliens living in California have done so already, according to the California Immigrant Policy Center (CIPC). That leaves approximately "1.6 million undocumented people who are eligible and could benefit from having a state government-issued identification card."

Although non-drivers who are in the country illegally could alternatively use "a consult ID or foreign passport to corroborate their identities," the CIPC claimed that doing so "is an often dangerous 'outing' process ... hence making them feel unsafe and vulnerable in revealing that they are foreign nationals living in the U.S."

This law specifies that the enforcement of federal immigration laws "does not constitute an urgent health and safety need," so indications on the license that the holder is an illegal alien will henceforth be omitted. Any documents used to acquire the ID will not be made public record.

The CIPC tweeted that the ability for criminal non-citizens to "access social services, healthcare, to rent, & to feel included as a member of our society" will be "life-changing."

\u201cBREAKING: @CAGovernor just signed #AB1766 (CA #IDs4All bill) which would allow all Californians to apply for a state ID regardless of immigration status! This will benefit 1.6 million undocumented Californians, who currently cannot obtain a CA driver\u2019s license. (1/4) \ud83e\uddf5\u201d
— California Immigrant Policy Center (@California Immigrant Policy Center) 1663978749

Assemblyman Robert Rivas (D) claimed that this "legislation moves us one step closer to true equity for our undocumented neighbors."

To obtain a Mexican driver's license, by way of comparison, an applicant must provide a copy of his visa confirming legal status, his international passport, his birth certificate, and proof of address in the country.

According to Assemblyman Stone's office, those incarcerated illegal aliens who were previously unable to acquire driver's licenses "because they cannot access a driving test in prison" will also now be able to acquire ID cards.

New perks for non-driver illegal aliens

With their state IDs, non-driver illegal aliens will be able to:

  • gain "improved access" to in-state tuition at taxpayer-funded public colleges and universities as well as to student loans;
  • open bank accounts;
  • access health care and citizen benefits; and
  • receive more "legal assistance in civil matters affecting basic human needs."

Additionally, with these IDs, foreign nationals who have illegally entered the U.S. and become street vendors will now be able to easily acquire local health permits and therefore better compete against citizen-owned businesses.

With 2,150,639 illegal aliens having stolen into the country so far this year, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo suggested this law will only exacerbate the border crisis.

\u201cGiving illegal immigrants government IDs is a bad idea. It will make the border crisis worse.\n\nhttps://t.co/d9e7wqs72j\u201d
— Mike Pompeo (@Mike Pompeo) 1664207153

Richard Grenell, former acting director of National Intelligence, wrote that Gavin Newsom "should be worried about illegals voting with the IDs he is giving them."

In 2018, there was some question whether thousands of illegal aliens had been enabled to vote in California as a result of the automatic voter registration of DMV driver's license recipients.

Former Rep. Jason Chaffetz suggested last year that Democrats stand to benefit from what "California does – automatically register everyone who gets a driver's license to vote, then do nothing to weed out the votes of illegal immigrants."

The enactment of this law comes just weeks after voters in Massachusetts secured an opportunity in the November elections to end their state law permitting illegal aliens to receive licenses.

Massachusetts voters secure opportunity in November to end law permitting illegal aliens to get driver's licenses



On February 16, the Democrat-controlled Massachusetts House of Representatives overrode Republican Gov. Charlie Baker's veto and approved a bill called the Work and Family Mobility Act. The bill would enable illegal aliens to acquire driver's licenses. The state Senate, similarly Democrat-controlled, signed H.4805 into law on May 5, making Massachusetts the 17th state to confer licenses on criminal non-citizens.

Although touted by some advocates as a step towards "transformational change for undocumented immigrants across the Commonwealth," that step might amount to a stumble.

In the upcoming November election, the people of Massachusetts have an opportunity to repeal the law.

As the result of an energetic campaign and a petition allegedly netting over 100,000 signatures — of which only 71,883 signatures were ultimately accepted — Massachusetts' Election Division certified the proposed referendum as Question 4 on the November 8 ballot. Only 40,120 signatures were required.

The work to get the question of whether to keep or repeal the new license law on the ballot began in earnest in June, when Maureen Maloney and Kevin Dube filed a statement of organization with the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance to create the Fair and Secure Massachusetts committee.

As the committee made considerable progress collecting signatures into the summer, some Democrats took notice. The Federation for American Immigration Reform reported that Senate President Karen Spilka (D) saw the ballot question's passage not only as possible but as "a concern."

In a September 9 statement, Maloney, chairman of the committee, said of the petition's success, "Making the ballot is a huge achievement, and to do it with such an excess of signatures shows the groundswell of support across the commonwealth for repealing this law."

Maloney's son Matthew was brutally killed by an illegal alien, who struck him with a truck and dragged his body in 2011. In 2019, Maloney first testified against the bill in the state House before its passage and was met with jeers and boos.

Advocates for the bill suggested, "In the Trump era, immigrant families risk being torn apart every time they drive," citing instances where illegal aliens were deported after being charged with traffic offenses.

Maloney indicated in 2019 that the rhetoric about illegal aliens being separated from their families didn't sit well with her, given that "I have been permanently separated. This is the ultimate separation. ... They're afraid they'll be deported, but they can take their kids with them or their kids can go visit them. I don't have that option."

Boston 25 reported that Maloney and others involved with the repeal campaign were not only concerned that the law would enable foreign nationals in the United States illegally to take to the roads and endanger the lives of citizens. They were also worried that the law may undermine the integrity of state elections by providing illegal aliens with a means to vote.

Although the law specifies that the state is required to ensure that people without legal residences are not automatically registered to vote along with everyone else who receives a driver's license, some believe there will nevertheless be considerable abuse.

Governor Baker argued, when issuing his veto, that the bill "significantly increases the risk that noncitizens will be registered to vote." He added that the bill "restricts the Registry's ability to share citizenship information with those entities responsible for ensuring that only citizens register for and in our elections."

Republican gubernatorial nominee Geoff Diehl and Leah Allen, Republican nominee for lieutenant governor, announced their support for the ballot question in June, similarly arguing that this law will "threaten the integrity of our elections."

In the bill's initial hearings, another concern was raised: the well-being of economically vulnerable citizens.

According to the Massachusetts Coalition for Immigration Reform, the provision of licenses to illegal aliens legitimizes illegal competition. "A whopping 200,000 illegal aliens already reside in Massachusetts — up one-third from a decade ago — taking jobs that would otherwise go to lawful residents, and driving down the wages of low-skilled residents who are still working, because of an oversupply of any resource reduces its value."

The MCIR also noted that not only does the issuing of licenses to illegal immigrants serve to sanction criminality, but it facilitates the use of services intended for citizens by non-citizens.

A poll conducted in April by Suffolk University indicated that the vote may be a toss-up, with 46.13% supporting licenses for illegal aliens, 46.63% opposed, and 55% undecided.

Unless the law is blocked by citizen voters in November, illegal aliens can begin applying for licenses on July 1, 2023.