Donnelly: Brown Made 'the California Driver's License a Joke'

Governor Jerry Brown’s signing of a bill that grants undocumented immigrants an opportunity to receive a driver’s license has made the state less safe and the license system “a joke,” according to Assemblyman Tim Donnelly.

Donnelly (R-Twin Peaks) released his angry statement late Monday following the governor’s signing of AB 2189, a bill authored by Assemblyman Gil Cedillo (D-Los Angeles). Donnelly also represents Sierra Madre.

The bill affects several thousand eligible for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, according to reports. The Deferred Action program is for those ages 15 to 31 who can prove they’ve been in the country for the last five years consecutively.

The bill has been controversial. Its critics pointed out potential abuses as licenses are used as official identification. But Cedillo and the bill’s supporters felt it would contribute to road safety by allowing the state to require those undocumented, many which are driving despite not having a license, to take driving tests.

Below is Assemblyman Donnelly full statement:

“Governor Brown just made our state less safe and made the California Driver's License a joke. We have no way of knowing who we will be handing out secure documents to under this new policy. Exacerbating the security threat posed by this flippant and irresponsible legislation, driver's licenses will give people in the state illegally the ability to register to vote.

"Combined with online voter registration, same day voter registration up to and on election day, this is a recipe for massive potential voter fraud.  Now an untold number of 'legal' illegals - those who've been granted a temporary deportation reprieve from President Obama - will be able to drive, travel and even vote in our state with "secure" documents indistinguishable from a citizen's license.

"Every time our laws become inconvenient for people who are here illegally, we create a new program for them, regardless of the consequences for citizens. Given that Californians can now register to vote online with nothing more than a driver's license number, this bill will do irreparable harm, compromising the integrity of our elections. In a society based on free and secure elections, this new bill will outrage every voting citizen and every family who has gone through the steps and waited patiently to become American citizens.”

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