Peter Roskam’s War on Immigrants

Peter Roskam has evidently decided that there are votes to be gained by being a bully. He and his Republican colleagues are scared. 7 years of Republican administration have left the country in miserable shape. We are fighting a horribly misguided war in Iraq that is leaving our military in a dangerously weakened state. Our reputation in the world is in tatters. The lawless administration has embraced torture and endless detention, even of U.S. citizens with out recourse to courts. The regulatory agencies that protect the quality of our environment and the safety of our food, drugs and workplaces over to industry lobbyists. And we are beginning a descent into recession as a result of unsound Republican economic and regulatory policies.

And so what does any good Republican like Peter do when faced with the disastrous consequences of his own policies? Why find someone weak and voiceless to blame it all on and run for office based upon their toughness against this so-called enemy. That is what Peter Roskam and his allies have done in their endorsement of anti-gay bigotry and that is exactly what they are trying to do now with their get-tough policies regarding undocumented immigrants. There is no immigration crisis. There is only a crisis in the Republican party relative to their dismal prospects in the 2008 elections.

Now Peter Roskam has launched another salvo against undocumented workers in the form of H.R. 4176, the Prevention of Unsafe Licensing Act. The bill, if enacted, would prevent the individual states from issuing drivers licenses to undocumented workers. It is another attempt to appease and incite the xenophobic right and the expense of a class of our hard-working, tax-paying friends and neighbors. This bill will not only take food from the mouths and clothes from the backs of these workers but will increase the financial risk to all Illinois citizens as unlicensed motorists cannot obtain insurance.

We have laws already to allow the Federal government to detain and deport undocumented workers. This bill is simply piling on for political gain and it should be rejected. Common decency and humanity demand that it be rejected.