|
After Congress passed the REAL ID Act in May 2005, city
council members in New York City and Santa Fe, New Mexico, introduced
resolutions opposing the act. (For more on the REAL ID Act, see “REAL
ID Enacted: Imposes Rigid Driver’s License Requirements,”
Immigrants’ Rights Update,
June 30, 2005, p. 1.) The
resolution introduced in Santa Fe was adopted by the city’s governing
body on July 13, 2005, and the one introduced in New York had a hearing
in July. The American Library Association Council also adopted a
resolution critical of the REAL ID Act on June 29.
The
Santa Fe resolution declares “opposition to the federally mandated REAL
ID Act” and urges the New Mexico legislature to establish policy that
continues to provide “non-discriminatory access to driver’s licenses to
all of New Mexico’s residents.” The resolution cites the benefits of
New Mexico’s driver’s license law, which allows undocumented immigrants
to obtain licenses, and urges Santa Fe County, the New Mexico
Association of Counties, the New Mexico Municipal League, and the New
Mexico congressional delegation to adopt similar resolutions.
The New York City resolution “expressing grave
concern regarding the passage of the REAL ID Act of 2005” was introduced
in the New York City Council and had a hearing in July. The resolution
notes that there was no debate in Congress regarding the merits of the
law, and it urges the state of New York to implement the law in a manner
that minimizes its negative impact on immigrants. It is expected that
the resolution will be scheduled for a vote this fall. The text of the
resolution is available
here.
Although various news sources have reported
that the Montana legislature passed an anti–REAL ID Act resolution, no
such resolution has been adopted. A bill that passed the state’s House,
HB 304, directed the state not to adopt federal driver’s licenses
standards, but that bill died in the Senate.
The resolution adopted by the American
Library Association Council “affirms the right of individuals,
regardless of their legal status, to library services” and affirms that
“[t]he American Library Association is on record as opposing the REAL
I.D. Act.” The text of the ALA resolution is available
here.
—By
Tyler Moran, NILC policy
analyst
|
