View Full Version : Driver's licenses for illegal immigrants?
Do you like the idea of a state allowing illegal immigrants to have a driver's license?
Yes I do- because drivers licenses are the most efficient way of tracking a person in the event of criminally negligent driving, dangerous driving etc. Also to have a license I am assuming an address would be necessary to give- again, an ideal way of tracking and monitoring illegal immigrants. Documentation of a persons existance makes it very difficult for them to "vanish".
Also, in England, we have seen a sharp increase in drink driving and dangerous driving offenses which have been directly attributed to the increase in immigrant workers- if immigrants had to sit a test to gain a license then they would have to reach the same standards of driving expected of national citizens and would also have no plea of ignorance to driving laws in reguards to alcohol and road safety.
So yes I see it as a good thing. It is highly unlikely that denying them a license would stop them from driving, they would just do so illegally and statistically hit and run and other terrible things are far more likely if a person is driving illegally.
malcontent
11-08-2007, 11:35 AM
Yes, I think all drivers should be licensed. How else can a driver obtain insurance? I would not want to be hit by an uninsured driver.
When I was a child, I was in one hit and run accident that was caused by an illegal immigrant who had been drinking and driving. The car was apprehended, but my parents had to absorb the damage from the accident, as the driver did not have insurance.
gr8mommy
11-08-2007, 01:48 PM
Do you like the idea of a state allowing illegal immigrants to have a driver's license?
Absolutely not. They should not be given legal status of any kind. They should be deported.
Absolutely not. They should not be given legal status of any kind. They should be deported.
I guess my feeling on it is, if illegal immigrants are going to be allowed to stay in the country (which, due to business pressure, seems to be the case), then they probably should be licensed, because driving around with a license and insurance is safer than not. However, at the same time, it does seem weird. I guess I just think the whole idea of "illegal immigrant" needs to be rethought if it's not something that is going to be dealt with because the labor of those immigrants is seen as necessary. Because abstractly an illegal immigrant should not be able to get a driver's license, given that they aren't here legally and probably should not be allowed to remain in the country, but in practice there are powerful business interests out there who are going to make sure they stay so they can have cheap labor, and so it becomes a lot less clear, IMO.
That's an interesting point Lori about the need for their labour, does America not have any scheme allowing temporary citizenship dependant upon remaining in gainful employment to fill skill shortages? I know emigrating to America from the Uk is notoriously difficult in comparison to the reverse.
I think as long as an immigration system failing to the extent that there is a significant and constant illegal immigrant population then there is a need to make their existance as safe as possible for all irreguardless of how "right" their being in a country is, being able to track a person is a useful tool in terms of safety. In an ideal world the immigration services would be sufficient that it isn't a problem but it is and I think due to that fact there is a high need to manage rather than ignore the issues raised.
Christine
11-09-2007, 04:00 AM
I don't believe it's a matter of skill shortage as it is a matter of people being willing to work dirt cheap and under the table. There are plenty of Americans that are desperate for jobs that the concept of illegal immigrants being here for a reason just irks me. Yeah, they're here to make it easier for the bigwigs, not to help the average citizen.
I'm living in an area where there is a high percentage of illegal immigrants. They seem to have no problem getting housing, welfare and food stamps. Dave has been told to his face (when asking for a raise) "Nope. I can hire three Mexicans for what I pay you!" So I really see this issue as benefiting the higher-ups more than anyone on the bottom of the totem pole.
I don't honestly know how I feel about the driver's license issue though. On the one hand, it angers me that people are allowed to live off a system that they're not paying into - but that's both Americans and non-Americans alike. But it also worries me the number of fatal accidents were seeing in this area due to unlicensed illegal immigrant drivers. I don't know where I stand.
I have larger issues with the government not enforcing our laws or bowing down to businesses then I do with people having driver's licenses. At least those you have to pay for so it would be a source of revenue rather than giving out money in the form of welfare or food stamps.
gr8mommy
11-09-2007, 07:50 AM
I guess my feeling on it is, if illegal immigrants are going to be allowed to stay in the country (which, due to business pressure, seems to be the case), then they probably should be licensed, because driving around with a license and insurance is safer than not. However, at the same time, it does seem weird. I guess I just think the whole idea of "illegal immigrant" needs to be rethought if it's not something that is going to be dealt with because the labor of those immigrants is seen as necessary. Because abstractly an illegal immigrant should not be able to get a driver's license, given that they aren't here legally and probably should not be allowed to remain in the country, but in practice there are powerful business interests out there who are going to make sure they stay so they can have cheap labor, and so it becomes a lot less clear, IMO.
My issue with the licenses is that they are acceptable as a means of primary identification for the issuance of other documents and sources of credit. It isn't much of a stretch from getting one valid document---whether their immigration status is noted in some way or not----and getting more. Many more.
How deportation of illegals is or isn't dealt with, and why, is probably a thread all its own.