Pa. MV Death, accused is an illegal with Md. Drivers License

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http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/loc...home-headlines

Maryland News > politics
Pa. death reinforces driving issue
Authorities say accused is an illegal immigrant with a Md. license
By Justin Fenton
Sun reporter
Originally published February 10, 2007

A Gaithersburg truck driver who authorities say was in the country illegally was arraigned this week outside of Pittsburgh on charges of vehicular manslaughter, an incident that advocates of tighter restrictions on Maryland's driver licenses said reinforces a troubling trend.

Since November, at least three people have been killed by illegal immigrants who were issued driver's licenses in Maryland, authorities say. For the fifth year in a row, lawmakers are set to debate whether the state should continue to issue driver's licenses to those who are in the country illegally.

This time, the discussion is likely to be framed by bills focused on the federal Real ID Act. The two-year-old law sets national standards for the issuance of state driver's licenses and identification cards, essentially prohibiting states from issuing driver's licenses to illegal immigrants.

"Illegals shouldn't be here in the country, and then we legitimize them being here by issuing driver's licenses," said Sen. Janet Greenip, an Anne Arundel County Republican.

Greenip has introduced a bill that would bring Maryland into compliance with the Real ID Act by prohibiting drivers from receiving Maryland licenses if they cannot prove they are in the country legally.

But some lawmakers and immigrant advocates say that such measures would punish people seeking a better life and reduce road safety because many immigrants would drive without licenses.

Yesterday, a joint resolution was introduced in the House of Delegates requesting that Congress repeal the act, following the lead of Maine.

On Thursday, a 31-year-old Honduran diplomat was killed on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, 20 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, when the vehicle in which she was traveling was rear-ended by a tractor-trailer. The truck driver, Sam P. Thompson, a Ghana native who lives in Gaithersburg, was charged with vehicular homicide.

Pennsylvania State Police said that Thompson, 32 -- who has been charged with several traffic violations in Maryland, according to computerized court records -- was in the country illegally. A spokeswoman for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Washington confirmed that the agency had no record of Thompson attaining citizenship, though an investigation was pending.

However, Thompson did have a valid Maryland driver's license and a commercial trucking license, obtained in May 2006 via a transfer of his licenses from Kentucky, a Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration spokesman said.

An employee with his employer, Transcare Systems Inc. of Bowie, told the Associated Press that the company believed Thompson was in the country legally but referred questions to an attorney.

Published reports said that Thompson, who was hauling glassware, denied responsibility for the crash at a brief arraignment Thursday.

"I didn't cause this," he said, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "I wasn't following too closely. That car passed me. ... I'm in my lane."

Thompson told a judge that he has been in the United States since 1998 and has lived in Maryland for 2 1/2 years. He denied allegations that he is an illegal immigrant and said he has valid work permits.

The victim, Nuria Ortiz Navarro, a trade and investment promotion counselor for the Honduran Embassy in Washington, was pronounced dead at the scene. She was the daughter of a Honduran journalist and had worked for the embassy for five years.

"The embassy just lost a very great asset for our country," said David Hernandez, a spokesman for the Honduran Embassy. "We lost a very great friend."

Thompson had previously been charged with more than a dozen traffic violations and other criminal charges.

In October 2005, he was charged in Frederick County with operating a commercial vehicle without a license and driving a commercial vehicle with a suspended license from another state, court records show. The charges were dropped.

A 36-year-old Silver Spring woman has a lawsuit pending against Thompson in Montgomery County Circuit Court alleging that he backed a commercial tractor-trailer into her vehicle in 2003.

"I had a hard time finding him, and our process server just recently found him after months and months of working on it," said her attorney, Richard S. Lundin.
In November, a Marine corporal and his companion were killed in Howard County by an alleged drunken driver who was an undocumented immigrant. He had obtained his license in North Carolina, a state that until recently was known for having lax policies on drivers' licenses.

Maryland remains one of a handful of states where illegal immigrants can legally obtain licenses. A 2003 opinion by the attorney general's office concluded that nothing in existing law precluded illegal immigrants from getting licenses in Maryland, provided they could produce other documentation the state requires, such as proof of identity and state residency.

Efforts by lawmakers and others seeking greater scrutiny have stalled in recent years. Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. proposed regulations last summer that would eliminate documents from the list of those that the MVA accepts as proof of identity and residence, such as foreign baptismal certificates or school records.

The Real ID Act takes effect in 2008, requiring that states verify documentary evidence that an applicant is a U.S. citizen or has other legal standing, such as a visa. Without the new identification, people would be barred from airplanes and federal buildings without some other form of federally issued ID, such as a passport.

That's a big reason why Maryland must comply, Greenip said.

Del. Patrick L. McDonough, a Baltimore County Republican who has worked for years to tighten restrictions on illegal immigrants, said Maryland's roads are less safe with illegal immigrants driving.

"There's no question that the problem is getting worse, and the General Assembly has its head in the ground and is not going to change anything, which makes Maryland's roads much more dangerous than they should be," he said.

Opponents say that giving licenses to undocumented immigrants helps keep track of who is on the road and makes sure they are qualified to drive.

The Real ID discussion isn't all about immigrants, however. Del. Henry B. Heller, a Montgomery County Democrat, sponsored the joint House resolution opposing the Real ID Act. But he said he opposes undocumented immigrants obtaining driver's licenses -- a large reason why his bill had so many co-sponsors.

"I believe in tightening that up, but what Real ID does is basically overkill," Heller said. "It makes a low-grade MVA clerk responsible for homeland security. It's a totally unfunded mandate."

justin.fenton@baltsun.com

__________________________________________________ _
Note: Pending Legislation, Subject: Aliens, Maryland General Assembly 2007
http://mlis.state.md.us/2007rs/subjects/aliens.htm

[GRoPA]

Since November, at least three people have been killed by illegal immigrants who were issued driver's licenses in Maryland, authorities say. For the fifth year in a row, lawmakers are set to debate whether the state should continue to issue driver's licenses to those who are in the country illegally.

This sounds like something Mayor Bloomberg should investigate......

[KeithPA]

Straw Licenses

[LorDiego01]

Even if MD stops issuing driver's licenses to illegals, thats not going to stop people from driving where they need to go.

Also, I see the market for fake IDs exanding quite quickly.

[Lougotzz]

Illegals come here and drive like it was a 3rd world nation. 3rd world nations are not run by rule of law. People do what they want and pay off and cover up. I can't believe that this country is letting this happen. It is absolutly mind blowing. The politicians are absolutly useless. One worse then the other.

We are actually getting to 3rd world status in certain areas because of this do nothing attitude. It is just going to get worse with the mindless people in and running for office.

Go to the south and you will see nothing but mexicans doing construction type jobs. Up here in the north there are still americans in the field but getting harder and harder to find.