As the open-borders agenda of the left finally sees the light of day, it’s not surprising to learn that blue cities and states are no longer solely committed to refusing to work with ICE. They are now actively working against federal immigration law and policy, even going so far as to issue emergency rules intended to protect illegal aliens from deportation.
In Washington state, one such “emergency rule” was approved Friday. The rule says that the country of birth is no longer required on applications for Washington driver licenses. Washington state officials say that asking for the place of one’s birth on an application for a driver license can lead to targeting by ICE. They are having none of that.
Last year, Washington state’s Department of Licensing announced: “DOL takes immediate steps to stop disclosure of information to federal immigration authorities.”
The Washington State Department of Licensing is taking immediate action to ensure the agency is safeguarding personal information that can be used to determine immigration status and to uphold the intent of Governor Inslee’s Executive Order 17-01, Reaffirming Washington’s Commitment to Tolerance, Diversity, and Inclusiveness.. . . . In consultation with the Governor’s Office and the Office of the Attorney General, DOL announced the following steps:
- Stopping the release of all records to federal immigration authorities. Moving forward, records will not be released to these entities without a court order signed by a federal judge or magistrate, or under the requirement of state or federal law.
- Conducting a thorough review of agency processes and computer systems with the Governor’s Office and the Office of the Attorney General.
- Using emergency rulemaking to end the collection of information that isn’t mandated and could be misused, such as place of birth information gathered during the driver license or ID card application process. Once the emergency rulemaking process begins, information can be found here: http://www.dol.wa.gov/about/driversrules.html.
- Accepting the resignation of DOL Deputy Director Jeff DeVere’s. DeVere was the executive sponsor overseeing compliance with Executive Order 17-01.
- Hiring of a community liaison officer to work with community groups to ensure DOL processes, procedures and services meet the needs of all Washington residents. This person, who will report to the agency director, will provide oversight and accountability and coordinate outreach and education to individuals and stakeholder groups.
- Establishing a new hotline to answer customer concerns and any questions they may have about this issue.
- Educating DOL staff on all changes made to policies and procedures related to the release of information to law enforcement and ensure all requests are evaluated properly. We also will make sure all staff understand the Governor’s Executive Order and the importance of diversity, tolerance and inclusion.
These new rules were not enough, however, so the state issued the aforementioned “emergency rule” to stop asking applicants for their place of birth.
Washington residents who apply for a standard driver license, instruction permit and ID card are no longer required to provide their place of birth as part of the application process.Earlier this month, The Seattle Times reported that the Washington Department of Licensing (DOL) had been giving residents’ personal information to federal immigration-enforcement officers, who used that information to arrest and deport people under President Trump’s immigration policies.A spokesperson for Governor Jay Inslee’s Office said until they were questioned by the Times, they hadn’t understood the extent of DOL’s cooperation with ICE.“We’ve asked them to stop what they’re doing at this point,” spokeswoman Jaime Smith had said.On January 19, DOL filed emergency rule-making to immediately end the collection of information not required by state or federal statute. The change took effect Friday, January 26.The emergency rule lasts 120 days. During that time, DOL plans to permanently eliminate place of birth as a requirement to apply for a driver license or ID card.”DOL is taking these actions to ensure the agency is safeguarding personal information that can be used to determine immigration status and to uphold the intent of Governor Inslee’s Executive Order 17-01, Reaffirming Washington’s Commitment to Tolerance, Diversity, and Inclusiveness,” DOL said in a press release.
The leftist Huffington Post gleefully announces that the new emergency measure is a direct attempt to “foil” ICE.
The Washington State Department of Licensing has issued an emergency rule to change driver’s license requirements to help protect undocumented immigrants from a crackdown by federal authorities. Drivers no longer have to identify their place of birth.
State residents who apply for a standard driver’s license, instruction permit or I.D. won’t have to list a birthplace now, according to the order, which went into effect Friday.
The move is the latest in a West Coast war with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials who are targeting the region.
Watch the report:
Open borders and amnesty are not popular among American voters, so the left is trying to leverage our “immigrant history,” “who we are as a people,” and an amazing array of alternate sympathetic/condemning and accusatory terminology in an attempt to sway us.
The more fevered the left gets in leaping from declaring illegal aliens “undocumented workers” to attempting to establish illegal aliens as Americans, the more the majority of the American people tune out.
Washington’s “emergency rule” is intended to diminish President Trump and his common sense immigration policy.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL VERSION OF THIS STORY