License bill advances in Senate

Bramble said "this doesn't single out illegal aliens and say you only get this card if you are illegal."

Sen. Chris Buttars, R-West Jordan, said he was "thrilled" with the bill.

"Something along this order has been needed for a long, long time," Buttars said. Although he said some may say it's profiling, "I believe this is a brilliant step."

During his monthly televised press conference on KUED Channel 7, Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. on Friday said he supports Bramble's bill because it's "a good compromise position."

"We have to recognize that we have a large, perhaps just under 100,000 in terms of population size, undocumented worker population," Huntsman said. "I think we have to conclude that they are an integral part of our economic base."

Meanwhile, a group of anti-illegal immigration activists also gathered Friday to decry that acceptance of undocumented immigrants. At a meeting organized by Utahns For Immigration Reform and Enforcement, Joan Molinaro cried as she held a photo of her son, who was killed in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Prohibiting licenses entirely for illegal immigrants is the only way to ensure terrorists do not cross American borders and attack again, she said.

"What killed my son was stupidity. The stupidity of my government not securing its borders and the stupidity of states to give out licenses to undocumented aliens," she said. "If Utah continues to give licenses, we are that much weaker for it."

Molinaro also told the group of about 30 people who gathered at West Jordan City Hall that giving illegal immigrants the right to drive is rewarding them for breaking a law and will lead to more disregard for state laws. Molinaro added that her position is unpopular among immigrants, who claim she is a racist and a racial profiler.

"I am a racist. I hate terrorists," she said. "I live in the United States of America. Do you live in the United States of Mexico? No person coming into the country has the right to make demands on you. It's your country."

On Capitol Hill, Rep. Curt Oda, R-Clearfield, has amended an unrelated driver's license bill so it will be compatible with Bramble's if it passes. Oda's HB223 would give those who are legal aliens but aren't eligible to work, such as those with student visas, the ability to get a driver's license.

The amendment would give the "driving privilege card" to those who qualify under that provision.

Oda, whose bill is scheduled to be heard in a Senate committee Monday, said he doesn't necessarily support Bramble's bill, but "it won't hurt mine. (The amendment) takes away the profiling of legal and illegal."

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