But that doesn't stop him from going to his maintenance and landscaping jobs. For him, it's more about feeding his wife and two children than following the letter of the law. We already KNOW he is not going to follow the law - he is here ILLEGALLY!!!

"Even though I don't have papers to work here, I'm taking a job that is needed. If I'm paying taxes and I need to drive to work, they need to give me the opportunity to do it legally," said Negrete, who came from Mexico three years ago. Who does he think he is kidding - he can not get a job with a green card or an s.s. card - therefore he is being paid cash under the table - therefore he is NOT paying taxes!!!  DDDDUUUUHHHHH

His situation is similar to other illegal immigrants, but there's little he can do about it. Negrete can't get a driver's license because he's here illegally. And I am supposed to feel sorry for him because he is in this country ILLEGALLY!!!   NOT!

In 2000, Kansas legislators required those getting a driver's license to have a "lawful presence" in the United States -- joining the majority of states with such a ban. A House-passed bill abolishing that ban is stalled in a Senate committee with little chance of passage. And it not only better stay stalled it better disappear and fast.

"It's a necessity here. We have to use cars. I travel 45 minutes to an hour to work, and the jobs are in different places so I have to drive," said Hugo Batres, who came from Mexico a year ago. "There is no one to take me to work and if I don't work, my family doesn't eat." Again - NO sympathy - he is here ILLEGALLY.

The fear of being stopped by the police is very real. GOOD - means the police are finally doing something besides terrorizing innocent Americans that are here legally by birth or by coming here LEGALLY and becoming American Citizens through the PROPER PROCEDURES.

"It makes me tremble. We fear that if we get stopped, it could mean deportation," said Juan Simental, who also came from Mexico a year ago. "Our friends make fun of us for driving slow like the elderly." You should tremble you are here ILLEGALLY.

Negrete recalled driving home once when he saw a police car.

"I just parked my car on the street because I was afraid and left the car there and ran home," he said. NO sympathy - you are here ILLEGALLY.

As for traffic accidents, illegal immigrants face a double whammy -- no license plus no valid car insurance because they can't get a license. Negrete said he's been in two minor accidents, neither his fault. BOTH his fault - he is here ILLEGALLY - and driving without proper license or insurance - ILLEGALLY.

"I told the person to leave because it is easier to pay for the damage than to deal with driving without a license," said Negrete, who, like the other illegal immigrants, spoke through a translator. AAAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH

Illegal immigrants come to the United States for a better life and better wages. Batres said a good wage in Mexico is $50 a week versus $50 to $70 a day he can earn working in the Kansas City area. And what about Americans that have lost their jobs because of ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS???? Americans that are here LEGALLY.

"My wife was pregnant and hungry and there was no money," said Batres, whose wife and two children live in Mexico. He says they will join him here when he saves enough money. GREAT - and he is breeding - and planning on bringing in MORE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS!!

Nobody really knows how many illegal immigrants drive in Kansas without a license. Melinda Lewis of El Centro, a social services provider for Hispanic immigrants in the Kansas City metropolitan area, estimated there could be as many as 8,000 in the metro area. 8 to 10 MILLION IN THE UNITED STATES - and you wonder WHY your child is being forced to learn Spanish - then graduates from high school - can't read - can't write - and can't do simple math equations??????

Attorney David Grummon, who caters to the Hispanic community, says hardly a day goes by without an illegal immigrant asking for help with a ticket for driving without a license or insurance, usually after being stopped for something such as running a stop sign. There is only ONE way to help them - SEND THEM BACK.

"It's a huge problem. About four out of five traffic cases that come through my door involves no license and no insurance," Grummon said. "Generally they have to pay the ticket. They have to suck it up and pay it." GOOD - a LEGAL AMERICAN would have to pay it - he is driving ILLEGALLY - WHY? - because he is here ILLEGALLY.

Immigration officials estimate 8.5 million illegal immigrants are in United States, of which 45 percent are Mexican; 47,000 illegal immigrants are in Kansas, they say. I repeat myself there are 8 to 10 MILLION ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN THIS COUNTRY. If you know they are there - and who they are - why aren't you deporting them for being here ILLEGALLY?????

In the Hispanic community, the presence of illegal immigrants is common, and many spend years trying to gain legal status. Families often are a mix of U.S. citizens, immigrants legally in the country and those who aren't.

"Being here illegally doesn't mean we're criminals," Negrete said, adding that being an illegal immigrant is a civil violation and not a criminal offense. Excuse me - but when someone does something that breaks the law that makes them a criminal. You are here ILLEGALLY - therefore you are breaking the law - therefore you are a criminal. DDDDDDUUUHHHHH

Not everyone agrees.

"They have broken the law to get here. How many more laws will they have to break before the elected officials will acknowledge them for what they are, which are lawless, disrespectful aliens?" said Susan Tully, Midwest field director for the Federation for American Immigration Reform in Washington.

"It's a blurring of the lines. It's about easy access for those who aren't here legally to hide among the sea of citizens," she added.

At least 11 states this year are considering bills to tighten requirements on issuing driver's licenses to illegal immigrants and another eight are thinking about looser requirements, according the National Conference of State Legislature. They should ALL be tightening them.

Tyler Moran of the National Immigration Law Center said 26 states, including Kansas, have laws limiting a driver's license to those with a "lawful presence" in the country and 14 have the same limitation either in agency rules or because of the documents required to get a license. "LAWFUL PRESENCE" meaning LEGAL PRESENCE - here LEGALLY.

"Sometimes I think it's a misguided notion that restricting licenses will make the states more secure," Moran said. Boy - is that an understatement. Only DEPORTING them and keeping them deported will make the states more secure.

There's mixed feelings among Kansas law enforcement officials.

"Allowing illegal aliens to get a driver's license kind of legitimizes their presence in the country," said Kansas Sheriff's Association executive director Darrell Wilson. By breaking the law - they are being made legal and given a reward for breaking the law. AAAAARRRRGGGGHHHHHHH

But for Olathe Police Chief Janet Thiessen, a driver's license for illegal immigrants would make things easier for her officers.