New driver's license rule upsets "some immigrants."

Immigration: Some immigrants in this case means illegal immigrant advocates and illegals themselves. The twisted logic is what annoys me the most.

A little-noticed administrative change preventing illegal immigrants from obtaining a Texas driver's license has upset immigrant groups, lawmakers and Hispanic activists, who predict it will boost the number of unlicensed and uninsured drivers on Texas roads. Others fear it will boost a robust black market trade in counterfeit documents. The Texas Department of Public Safety is already enforcing the new rule in Houston, which requires noncitizens to prove they are in the country legally before they are issued a new license, renew an existing one or apply for a state identification card. "It's a bad idea," said Rick Dovalina, a Houston attorney and past national president of the League of United Latin American Citizens. "If you look at it strictly as a public policy, the undocumented should be issued a driver license because they would be able to drive legally, and buy insurance, and protect other people in case they have an accident." Dovalina said Texas officials should issue a license to any resident who can present a valid identity document, such as an identification card issued by the Mexican Consulate, regardless of their immigration status. But the change, which took effect on Oct. 1, was hailed by those who favor tightening immigration enforcement. "It's great," said Louise Whiteford, president of the Houston-based Texans for Immigration Reform. "We need to know who's here. We need to have some restrictions on who gets a driver's license."