FARRELL: Lax Driver’s License Laws Endanger Public Safety

From Chris Farrell’s Op-Ed for The Daily Caller:

Lax driver’s license requirements in Virginia were a key factor in enabling the September 11, 2001, hijackers to obtain the official documents they needed to undertake their deadly attacks. Virginia fixed that loophole, but now is poised to open it back up.

On Tuesday the Virginia legislature passed two bills that would allow illegal aliens to obtain driver’s licenses in the state. The legislation would do away with requirements to provide proof of “legal presence” in the country. If signed, the new law would give access to licenses to approximately 300,000 illegals in the state. Thirteen other states have such laws, including Maryland and the District of Columbia.

The bill’s sponsor, Democratic state Sen. Scott Surovell, calls it a “public safety and quality of life bill.” It is also part of the general push by the new progressive Democratic majority in Virginia to push for expanded rights for illegals.

Surovell has forgotten why the rules exist in the first place. Virginia used to issue driver licenses without requiring citizenship but tightened requirements after the September 11, 2001 attacks. Former Virginia Attorney General and now acting Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli said that lax license laws were the main problem that “allowed 9/11 to happen.”

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