The Washington Times
The House yesterday passed a bill to clamp down on illegal aliens' access to driver's licenses and judges' ability to deny asylum, after adding a provision to make sure that more of the illegal aliens ordered to be deported actually are sent home.
It marks the first foray into immigration issues for the new Congress, and the crackdown drew bipartisan support, passing 261-161, with 42 Democrats joining 219 Republicans in favor of it. Eight Republicans voted with 152 Democrats and the chamber's lone independent against it.
The bill, called the Real ID Act, would prevent the federal government from accepting state-issued identifications if the state makes them available to illegal aliens. About a dozen states allow illegal immigrants to obtain driver's licenses, and although the bill does not force them to change, it creates a strong incentive to do so.
The bill also limits some asylum claims and gives judges more leeway to deny others. It also removes the environmental block that is preventing completion of a 14-mile section of U.S.-Mexico border fence near San Diego.
Posted by Suzanne at February 11, 2005