WBEZ | Texas

Driver licenses for undocumented youths?

Mon, 27 Aug 2012 13:19:00 -0500

Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio are planning to provide driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants who get work papers under a new federal policy.

The Obama administration policy, called “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals,” will allow as many as 1.7 million illegal immigrants brought to the United States as children to get Social Security and employment-authorization cards, along with a deportation reprieve. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services began accepting applications Aug. 15.

“As long as the Social Security Administration issues an individual with a Social Security number, and they have the other documents that are required under Illinois law, then they can apply for a driver’s license,” said Henry Haupt, spokesman for Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, who oversees that state’s driver licensing.

WBEZ surveyed eight Midwestern states about their response to the policy change. Along with the four states planning to provide licenses, Wisconsin and Iowa officials said they had not decided yet, while Minnesota and Missouri officials did not respond to numerous WBEZ inquiries.

The states planning to issue the driver’s licenses differ from Arizona, Nebraska and Texas, where governors have vowed to block illegal immigrants from getting licenses.

The immigrants must meet several requirements to get the Social Security and work-authorization cards, including having been younger than 31 on June 15; having arrived in the U.S. before turning 16; having lived in the country continuously since June 2007; being a student or graduate, or having served in the military; and having no serious criminal record nor posing any public safety threat. The work authorization will last up to two years and, if the federal policy stays in place, be renewable. The policy does not provide a path to citizenship.

Assuming some of the immigrants have been driving illegally, states that enable them to get a license could make roads safer. “They have to pass the road exam, they have to pass the written exam, and they pass the vision test,” Haupt said about Illinois. “We require so many different things of our young drivers and — by doing so — they, of course, become better drivers.”

Illinois also requires proof of liability insurance on the car the driver uses for the road test. So it’s possible that allowing undocumented immigrants to drive legally could reduce the number of uninsured vehicles.

The immigrants themselves have more at stake. Karen Siciliano Lucas, an advocacy attorney of the Washington-based Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc., points out that driver’s licenses are vital for working and attending school in most regions of the country. “Not only that, it is a state-issued identification that shows who you are,” she said.

The issue is complicated because most states require driver’s license applicants to prove “lawful status” or “legal presence” in the United States. Officials in some states say the work authorization under the Obama policy will be sufficient proof. But a USCIS statement says the policy “does not confer lawful status upon an individual.” It’s unclear whether courts will enable states to define lawful status differently than the federal government does.

States expecting Obama administration guidance about the driver’s licenses could be waiting awhile. In response to WBEZ questions, the Department of Homeland Security sent a statement saying the department does not comment on state-specific matters.

Until federal courts weigh in, states are likely to face lawsuits no matter their course. “We will see battles on this,” Lucas predicted.

Making matters more complicated is the federal Real ID Act, a 2005 law aimed at fighting identity theft and keeping terrorists out of federal buildings and airplanes. Among other things, the act requires states to verify that driver’s license applicants have lawful status in the United States.

The law is set to take effect in January, but it’s not clear how the Obama administration will enforce it. DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano has fought for the measure’s repeal, calling it unworkable.

That irks advocates for tougher immigration enforcement: “If you want to protect against identify theft, you’ve got to eliminate the fraud,” said Janice Kephart, who focuses on national security policies for the Washington-based Center for Immigration Studies. “That means you have to eliminate the illegal-alien community out of that scheme. It doesn’t mean that states cannot give driver’s licenses to illegal aliens. It just means that they have to do it outside the Real ID Act.”

Kephart praised Utah, which has created a “driving privilege card” specifically for undocumented immigrants.

At the moment the only other states that let undocumented immigrants drive legally are New Mexico and Washington, which provide them the same licenses that U.S. citizens can get.

Navistar layoffs add to doubts about incentives

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 16:22:00 -0600

Sears Holdings Corp. and Chicago’s financial exchanges have quit threatening to pull up stakes now that Illinois has enacted tax breaks for them. But it remains unclear whether state incentives to big companies are wise uses of economic-development resources. A personnel shift by Lisle-based Navistar International Corp. will add fresh doubt.

WBEZ has learned that some new jobs Navistar promised under an Illinois incentive agreement are coming to the state at the expense of unionized workers in Indiana.

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn announced the Navistar incentives last year after the company threatened to pack up its headquarters in west suburban Warrenville and leave the state. The deal committed Illinois to a $64.7 million bundle of tax credits and job-training subsidies for the company. It committed Navistar to moving the headquarters to Lisle, a couple miles east, and to adding 400 full-time Illinois employees.

Navistar’s first report to the state about the jobs isn’t due until next year, so it’s hard to tell how many positions the company has created thus far. Employees confirm that dozens of new engineers and designers are working at the Lisle facility.

Navistar is creating those jobs as it phases out its Truck Development and Technology Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana, just three hours southeast of Chicago. The latest Fort Wayne cuts came December 2, when the company laid off 130 employees, mostly engineers and designers who are United Auto Workers members. Before the layoff, some of the Fort Wayne workers had to help train their Lisle replacements.

Navistar has “rewritten the job descriptions so the people that used to do the work here — the union folks — don’t qualify anymore on paper,” said Craig Randolph, a design engineer the company laid off after 15 years at the Fort Wayne center. “So they’re eliminating the high-seniority, older employees like myself and replacing them with nonunion college kids — guys fresh out of school. And the taxpayers in Illinois are subsidizing the whole thing.”

Asked for a response, Navistar spokeswoman Karen Denning called it unusual for engineers to have union representation in the first place, a claim disputed by auto industry experts. Denning also sent a statement that said the company’s decision to shift the Fort Wayne jobs to Lisle was “based solely on our desire to compete in the global economy.” The statement added that Navistar has allowed many Fort Wayne employees to relocate to the Chicago area and stay with the company.

The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity sent a statement that doesn’t directly address whether the Navistar incentives have anything to do with the Fort Wayne layoffs. The statement says the state’s assistance to companies like Navistar over the last decade has “created and retained tens of thousands of jobs,” including unionized positions.

There’s not much proof to back up such claims. Scholars who study the effects of corporate incentives point out that companies decide where to operate based on proximity to suppliers, markets, transportation and so on. Another factor is whether workers are bargaining collectively. Just this summer, Navistar announced it was closing a unionized plant in Chatham, Ontario. The company has moved that work to nonunion facilities in Texas and Mexico.

“I don’t think that the [Illinois] incentives are causing Navistar to shift around its workforce,” said Rachel Weber, an associate professor of Urban Planning and Policy at the University of Illinois at Chicago. “But they do send a message that the public sector and taxpayers are validating these kinds of activities. And, if you asked a lot of taxpayers in the state of Illinois whether they’d want to support these kinds of activities, I don’t think they’d be so happy about it.”

Weber pointed out that the economies of Illinois and Indiana intertwine closely and said it would help both states to quit poaching jobs from each other. Eliminating state incentives for corporations, she added, would free up resources for everything from workforce readiness to small-business incubation.

The union, for its part, didn’t return calls about the Fort Wayne layoffs and isn’t creating a public fuss about them. That raises questions about the role of UAW Secretary-Treasurer Dennis Williams, who serves on Navistar’s board of directors under a decades-old agreement that reserved the seat for the union. Because Williams draws salaries from both the UAW and Navistar, and because he once directed a UAW region that includes Illinois but not Indiana, some of the union’s Fort Wayne members accuse him of hanging them out to dry.

Settlement could lead to big park for Mexican neighborhood

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 22:35:00 -0500

The city of Chicago could be near the end of a five-year legal battle for control of a former industrial site with potential to help form a 24-acre park. If an eminent-domain settlement holds up, the land could be an asset for a Mexican-American area of the Southwest Side.

Cook County Circuit Court Judge Sanjay T. Tailor this week signed off on the deal, under which the city will pay more than $7.5 million for about 19 acres owned by 2600 Sacramento Corp.

“I don’t get a penny,” company owner Joanne Urso said Friday afternoon. The money will go to the Cook County Treasurer’s Office and remain there as Urso tries to settle with a bank that has filed suit to foreclose on the property, according to her attorney.

Urso’s land could combine with an adjacent five acres the city already controls. The park would total about five blocks, all just west of South Sacramento Avenue and north of West 31st Street. The perimeter would pass residential buildings, industrial properties and the Cook County Jail.

Activists in the Little Village neighborhood hailed the settlement. “We have not seen any park development in over 75 years,” said Kim Wasserman, executive director of the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization.

Wasserman said the deal could inspire other neighborhoods to push for public amenities and services. “Regardless of language and regardless of immigration status, as long as there is determination in these communities, we can continue to get the things that we need,” she said.

The park concept has the backing of the local alderman. “That’s what we’re pushing for,” said Juan Manzano, an aide to Ald. George Cárdenas, 12th Ward.

The property served industrial manufacturers for more than 70 years, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Their output included asphalt, coal tar and driveway sealer. Celotex Corp. made roofing products on the site from 1967 to 1982, the EPA says.

Allied Chemical and Dye Corp. purchased that operation. A series of mergers and acquisitions turned Allied into New Jersey-based Honeywell International Inc. The corporation dismantled the Celotex facilities between 1991 and 1993, according to the EPA. Urso’s company bought the property later.

After cancer-linked chemicals turned up in nearby homes and yards, the EPA designated the area a Superfund site. A Honeywell cleanup consisted largely of covering the land with gravel. The cleanup finished last year, the agency says in a statement.

Chicago filed the eminent-domain suit in 2006. The case became more complicated in August 2010, when Texas-based United Central Bank filed the foreclosure suit, a nearly $10 million claim, in federal court. The loan involves both the Celotex site and another Urso property.

The city’s payment for Urso's land will consist of $6 million from the Chicago Park District and more than $1.5 million from city general-obligation bonds, according to Jennifer Hoyle, a spokeswoman for Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

But the timeframe for creating the park is not clear. Ownership of Urso’s property will transfer to Chicago upon payment, due September 7, but the city is not specifying a date for turning over the acreage to the Park District. “Possibly later this year,” Hoyle wrote Friday afternoon.

A possible obstacle is a Chicago Fire Department facility on the adjacent five acres.

The biggest challenge could be funding the park construction. Wasserman’s group is calling for playgrounds, a farm, sports fields, an amphitheater and a community center. Building all those amenities could cost hundreds of millions of dollars, the group says.

Gov. Perry tries to keep focus on God, not politics

Sat, 06 Aug 2011 20:48:00 -0500

It could have been a typical service at any megachurch in the South, with a tight band, a great choir, big-screen projection, and a large congregation swaying and praying. But the speaker who drew the biggest response at the prayer rally in Houston on Saturday was Texas Gov. Rick Perry, looking resplendent in a red tie and his much-envied mane of dark hair.

The often combative Republican governor did not attack his nemesis, Barack Obama, who Perry often accuses of overreaching and whom he may try to defeat at the polls next year.

In fact, Perry prayed for him.

"In these difficult times, father, we pray for our president, that you would impart your wisdom on him, that you would guard his family," he told a crowd of about 30,000 Christians at Reliant Stadium.

Perry seemed to take pains to de-politicize the event and turn it toward the Almighty.

"His agenda is not a political agenda," he said. "His agenda is a salvation agenda."

In the weeks leading up to it, the gathering had been widely criticized as a cynical creation of the governor to get an early lock on the religious right. Critics took note of the involvement of religious/political activists — men like David Lane and David Barton, well known in the Lone Star State for their talents at mobilizing Christian voters.

Perry shrugged off such talk.

"He's a wise God and he's wise enough to not be affiliated with any political party," he said to applause.

Later, Gov. Sam Brownback of Kansas took the stage to read from Second Chronicles and the Book of Matthew. Gov. Rick Scott of Florida sent a pre-recorded message. Nationally prominent Christian leaders attended, such as James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, and Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention. The long list of speakers also included the controversial televangelist Pastor John Hagee of San Antonio's Cornerstone Church.

Outside, protesters lined the sidewalk, holding signs that read slogans like, "Pastor Perry Must Resign." Some of the demonstrators belonged to an atheist organization that sued unsuccessfully to stop the event, called The Response. Overhead, a small plane pulled a banner reading: "God keep state, church separated."

Back inside the arena, that sentiment was amplified by the Rev. Barry Lynn, longtime director of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, who flew down from Washington for the occasion.

"I've never seen any event that is created as a religious event but crafted by politician," he said. "But if any wall between elected officials and their religious faith was breached, it did not seem to bother those in attendance. Indeed, they relished Rick Perry's unvarnished profession of fealty to Jesus."

Linda Faust, a pastor's wife in Cleveland, about an hour from Houston, served as a usher at the event.

"I don't know many governors that call for fasting and prayer for a nation. And I applaud Gov. Perry for doing that," she said. "He didn't have to do that."

To humor the cynics for a moment: If the 61-year-old governor wanted to start rounding up evangelical votes for a soon-to-be-announced run for the White House, he made a very good head-start. Jason Cole, who drove a bus from the Church of Glad Tidings in Austin, was impressed.

"Yeah, I think it would be extremely beneficial to our nation to hear some of our top leaders, especially if he gets elected as president, to take stands like this," Cole said, "and preach from the White House, ultimately from the White House."

Later, Cole and his wife, Patty, closed their eyes tightly and held each other in an intimate prayer, unaware of the microphone.

"Take this time, Lord God, and allow it to infiltrate our lives. Not just this Saturday at Reliant Stadium, but father God everyday — in streets, home, cities, counties, Lord God," he said, "across our nation light a fire."

More than choosing a candidate for president, this is the hope that most people at the revival seemed to want to take home.

A BBQ pilgrimage for LTH Forum’s Gary Wiviott

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 20:40:00 -0500

Gary Wiviott has some serious foodie credentials as the founder of the wildly popular culinary chat site LTH Forum. On LTH, named for Chinatown’s Little Three Happiness, commenters parse the latest offerings from beloved neighborhood joints like Hoosier Mama Pie Company and debate the merits of northern vs. southern Thai food.

Despite the site’s popularity it was not a financial success, and Wiviott has been plagued by money troubles in recent years. He was forced to file for bankruptcy protection in November of 2010 and put the site up for auction. The Tribune reported Wednesday that the forum has been sold for $40,000 to a group of long-time contributors who say they plan to keep its basics intact.

Given his background, it makes sense that Wiviott would be a food obsessive, who once, for example, spent the better part of a year making miso soup from scratch every day for breakfast. He later transferred his passions to barbeque, penning the somewhat audaciously titled Low & Slow: Everything You Know About BBQ is Wrong.

His book outlines the self-described “BBQ Mussolini’s” strict 5-step program that aims to help serious ‘Q-ers unlock the secrets of the smoker. Wiviott insists you throw away your lighter fluid, and eventually your store-bought rubs and sauces, in favor of carefully built, clean-burning fires and homemade brine.

In a 2009 talk given to the Culinary Historians of Chicago, Wiviott described a Texas trip that radically changed his grilling perspective. As you fire up your grills this holiday weekend, you may want to consider his epiphany, or check out the tips from his lessons. The former is in the excerpt above, and the latter is in the full audio, posted here.

Dynamic Range showcases hidden gems unearthed from Chicago Amplified’s vast archive of public events and appears on weekends. Gary Wiviott spoke at an event presented by Culinary Historians of Chicago in July of 2009. Click here to hear the event in its entirety.

Veterans to Army: Quit deploying mentally ill GIs

Mon, 30 May 2011 10:00:00 -0500

Memorial Day is a time to honor fallen military members, but some Chicago-area veterans will try to draw attention to soldiers on active duty.

A Monday morning ceremony downtown will focus on Fort Hood, a huge Army base in Texas. It’s been reported that 22 soldiers committed suicide there last year and another 5 this year.

Former Navy machinist’s mate David Van Dam, 23, said the military is sending too many GIs into combat despite serious mental injuries, including post-traumatic stress syndrome, traumatic brain injury and military-sexual trauma.

“They could be diagnosed by a medical professional and still be sent to a war zone multiple times,” said Van Dam, a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War, which is demanding a tripling of mental health professionals at Fort Hood.

A statement from the base says Fort Hood already provides aggressive behavioral-health treatment. The statement says the staffing for those services has increased more than 35 percent over the last two years.

The ceremony’s sponsors include IVAW, Vietnam Veterans Against the War and Veterans for Peace.

Texas To Students: For Spring Break, Don't Mess With Mexico

Wed, 02 Mar 2011 14:39:00 -0600

It's March — and that means spring break is around the corner for many college students. But Texas officials are advising students to avoid going to Mexico, saying that drug violence there isn't isolated to border areas.

The Texas Department of Public Safety put out a document today listing potential dangers to students traveling to Mexico for their schools' holiday. DPS officials also urged travelers to do careful research before any trip.

Here are more details from John Burnett:

The warning from DPS Director Steve McCraw is direct: "Avoid traveling to Mexico during Spring Break and stay alive."
He cites worsening drug-related violence and mayhem occurring not only in Mexico's northern border states, but throughout the country.
The current U.S. State Department Travel Warning for Mexico—dated September 2010—is slightly less alarming. It says while the security situation all over Mexico poses risks for U.S. citizens, resorts and tourist areas do not see the levels of drug-related violence and crime reported in the border region.
The State Department advises the more than 100,000 young Americans who flock to Mexican beach resorts over spring break every year to practice situational awareness, common sense, and phone home periodically to inform family members of their safety and whereabouts.

For updates on conditions in Mexico, you can check the U.S. Embassy in Mexico site. As of this writing, three warnings — in Nuevo Laredo, Nuevo Leon and Guadalajara — are listed.

And for anyone who just can't stay away from Mexico this spring, the State Department also has a "Know Before You Go" page, listing the basics of traveling (and returning) safely. Copyright 2011 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.