HARD BALL WITH ULTIMA

ULTIMA: As a Hispanic American citizen, do you support the idea of issuing drivers licenses to illegal aliens? What purpose would these licenses serve?

MARTINEZ: Yes, I do. It would enable these workers to come out of the shadows, drive an auto, buy insurance, open a bank account, and do a number of other things not otherwise prohibited by law.

ULTIMA: Should these licenses show any visa expiration date or in the absence of such a date serve as prima facie evidence that the person is present in this country illegally and therefore should be detained for Immigration and Customs Enforcement?

MARTINEZ: Anyone whose visa has expired or is about to expire would be unlikely to apply for a driver’s license under those conditions. Likewise, if the license itself is prima facie evidence of illegality, no one would be interested unless they knew the state and local police had been ordered not to detain illegal aliens.

ULTIMA: What does it mean to come out of the shadows? If the illegals are already working and living in the U.S. and driving to work without a license, aren’t they already out of the shadows? If an illegal is apprehended for traffic or other violations and does not have the required insurance, what should be done?

MARTINEZ: Admittedly, most of the illegals already live out in the open and so the term “out of the shadows” has little meaning. Some people think of it as giving the illegal aliens some sort of legal status so that they would no longer be faced with the threat of deportation. In my opinion, this term is just an attempt to garner sympathy for illegals who are skulking around our country and who shouldn’t be here. Those apprehended for traffic violations and do not have the required insurance should be detained for involuntary deportation. They must also pay any applicable fines.

ULTIMA: Do you believe state and local law enforcement should cooperate with the feds to help apprehend illegals and detain them until ICE can take custody? I'm not speaking of any sort of roundups by local authorities, just the determination of immigration status for anyone who is apprehended for other reasons.

MARTINEZ: Of course. State and local officials make all kinds of excuses for doing this but I believe this is part of their job of enforcing the law. The federal government should recognize the costs involved and make sure they have all the detention facilities needed to quickly remove illegals from local custody. If there is some impediment to local enforcement of the immigration laws, it should be removed as part of any immigration reform bill.

ULTIMA: Changing the subject, some believe that all illegal aliens should be legalized and granted a pathway to citizenship. Do you subscribe to this point of view or do you think this would create a huge incentive for more aliens to penetrate our borders?

MARTINEZ: It is obvious that many these folks have put down roots here to some extent and have children in American schools. It is also apparent that if all 12-20 million were to be deported, it would be a huge undertaking best handled by private enterprise rather than the government. Nevertheless, one has to admit that the systematic deportation of all of those who are apprehended in roundups at high profile employers or elsewhere is feasible. It is not something that can be or has to be done overnight. No one would want that because of the potential damage to our economy. Although I am sympathetic to the plight of some of the illegal aliens, it is obvious to me as an American citizen that if we want secure borders we must create disincentives to additional border violations. The involuntary and expeditious deportation of a significant number of illegals is one such disincentive. Physical barriers is another. A third is employer sanctions for those who hire illegals. I also like the idea of requiring employers to provide family health care coverage for all of their foreign employees. If I were an employer, that would certainly be a significant disincentive for hiring foreign workers.

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