Texas DPS cracks down on illegals driver licenses.

Immigration: Nice start by Texas.

In a clampdown on illegal immigrants, the Texas Department of Public Safety has adopted a new policy requiring noncitizens to prove they are in this country legally before they can obtain or renew a driver's license. Gov. Rick Perry applauded the change, which went into effect Oct. 1, as a way to strengthen the state's security. "Texas is a great place to live and work, and while we welcome legally documented individuals to the Lone Star State, we must ensure that this privilege is not abused by those seeking to enter our country illegally," he said. But Jim Harrington, director of the Texas Civil Rights Project, said the policy change is a bad idea because illegal immigrants are going to drive anyway. "People have to drive to get to work. You want people to get (auto) insurance. They can't get insurance if they don't have a driver's license," he said. The immigrant driver's licenses will look different than regular licenses so that they are immediately recognizable to police, Perry said. The immigrant licenses will have a "temporary visitor" designation and the date the driver's legal U.S. admission expires.