Criminal License

From an AP story in my local newspaper, The Daily Times:

Tennessee stopped issuing driving certificates to illegal immigrants Friday, citing problems with ensuring they were going only to state residents after federal investigators found rings shuttling in immigrants from elsewhere.

Although "not valid for identification'' appears in bold red letters on the face of the wallet-size certificates, federal prosecutors say banks accept them as legal ID and they can easily be passed off for other types of identification documents.

A dozen people pleaded guilty in recent months after two federal investigations found shuttles from as far away as New Jersey brought South and Central American immigrants with fake residency papers to get certificates at state licensing centers in Knoxville.

In January federal prosecutors filed charges that state license examiners in Murfreesboro, outside Nashville, accepted bribes to provide out-of-state illegal immigrants with driver's licenses and certificates. Two people were sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty, and the others are awaiting trial.

Officials have estimated the three schemes could have resulted in hundreds of fraudulent certificates being issued.

Tennessee began awarding full driver's licenses to illegal immigrants in early 2001. More than 180,000 obtained licenses before 9-11 fears about proof of identity set in.

That last paragraph gives you an idea of what we're contending with: 180,000 in a matter of months--in one state out of fifty. Just further proof that "If you build it, they will come."