THE IFIRE INFORMER
February 15, 2005 Newsletter
Welcome to the first issue of the IFIRE Informer! If you've been wondering what's going on with immigration reform in Indiana and the nation, we're here to tell you. Since we can't be everywhere or read everything, we hope you'll participate and send us stories from your part the state. You may submit letters and articles for consideration through our contact page.
H.B.1220 is a great piece of legislation that will allow the Indiana State Police to actually cooperate with the U.S. Department of Justice in the apprehension of illegal aliens. You can make a real difference by asking state lawmakers to vote for it. To read the bill and find contact information on your state legislators, visit the Action Items page at our website. To call state Senators in Indianapolis, call 1-800-382-9467. To reach state Representatives, dial 1-800-382-9842 for Democrats and 1-800-382-9841 for Republicans.
Driver's Licenses are of great concern. We need to keep them out of the hands of terrorists and illegal aliens. They are the keys to the kingdom. They give the holder access to everything from boarding planes to public benefits that only citizens are entitled to receive. There is a back door move underway by Representative Aguilera (D-East Chicago) and the Indiana Commission on Hispanic/Latino Affairs to lobby Governor Daniels to find a way to allow illegal aliens to obtain driver's licenses. Right now, Indiana requires applicants to have a valid Social Security Number in order to get a license. Illegal aliens do not have SSN's unless they have gotten them by fraudulent means. Rep. Aguilera wants Indiana to accept some other type of identity document, like the Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, in place of the SSN. The ITIN is issued by the IRS for tax purposes only and is not to be used for identity purposes because they don't check the applicant's background...they just issue the card. In fact, the IRS has found that about 25% of the 7 million ITIN's issued since 1996 have never made their way onto a tax return). The ITIN is used by illegal aliens so frequently that IRS webpages dealing with this number are even printed in Spanish.
IFIRE has written to Governor Daniels warning him about the ITIN and asking him to meet with us so that we can do a little lobbying for our side. We will present him with petitions from like-minded people around the state who oppose driver's licenses for illegals. If you would like your area to be represented, please print this petition and send the signatures to IFIRE at the above address.
VICTORY!!!!!!!! The U.S. House of Representatives passed the REAL ID ACT (H.R. 418) by a vote of 261 to 161. Rep. Sensenbrenner (R-WI) did a remarkable job of bringing this about. Please thank him and your US Reps. who voted for passage (Chocola, Pence, Souder, Buyer, Hostettler, Burton, Sodrel). As usual, Reps. Carson and Visclosky voted against this bill. If you're in their district, please redouble your efforts to persuade them to see our point of view. Thanks to all of you who called and faxed Congress and the White House about this bill. You really made a difference!
This bill still has a long way to go before it is approved by the Senate and signed by President Bush. Keep the pressure on President Bush and Senators Bayh and Lugar. Calls to Senator Frist may also be needed in order for him to even allow the Senate to vote on the REAL ID ACT. If the bill makes it through this process, 15 states will no longer be able to issue driver's licenses to illegals. It will also virtually end efforts by the open borders crowd and the Mexican government in other states to grant licenses to illegals there.
Links to interesting articles:
Man wanted on N.Y. warrant found here by Dan Cortez on 2/10/05
Opening Las Puertas - a series of articles that ran in the Evansville Courier & Press in December, 2004
Illegal aliens have no access to public services! by Jan Herron, 1/22/05.
Migrant fieldworkers are losing their traditional livelihood to mechanized pickers, global competition by Diane Lindquist, 1/23/05
You're Wrong, Mr. President! by Colin McNickle, 12/26/04
Bush's Immigration Pet Phrases by Michelle Malkin, 12/20/04
Indiana Federation for Immigration Reform and Enforcement
Post Office Box 297, Valparaiso, IN 46384
www.ifire.org