illegal immigrants in the United States be allowed to obtain drivers licenses?

[swatiraohnlu]

In the United States, illegal immigration is a major problem. The social impact is particularly relevant on United States roads, where illegal immigrants are driving without driver's licenses and without the driving instruction required in obtaining a driver's license. Many believe that, for the safety of both illegal immigrants and US citizens, that illegal immigrants should be offered driver's licenses.

Should illegal immigrants in the United States be allowed to obtain drivers licenses?

 

[swatiraohnlu]

* Illegal immigrants in America should be integrated into society - Illegal immigrants that are currently residing in America are active members of American society. They typically lead productive and law-abiding lives consistent with American ideals. Their only illegal action was entering the United States. As such, efforts should be made to integrate them into American society, and providing them the option of obtaining driver's licenses is a good way of achieving this.

* It is not feasible to deport millions of illegal immigrants from the United States It is not possible to deport between 10 and 12 million illegal immigrants. Therefore, integration is the best option. Offering illegal immigrants driver's licenses is in line with this course of action.

* Deporting millions of illegal immigrants from America would result in a humanitarian crisis Sending millions of illegal immigrants back to their home countries would result in a humanitarian crisis, particularly in Mexico. The best response, therefore, is to better integrate them into the fabric of society. Providing them with driver's licenses fits into this moral course of action.

 

[swatiraohnlu]

Illegal immigrants enjoy equal protection under US law - The fourteenth amendment of the United States Constitution, ratified in 1868 to secure rights for slaves, holds that states must provide equal protection under the law to all persons (not only to citizens) within their jurisdictions. Section 1 of the fourteenth amendment holds, "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." The case Plyler v. Doe, 457 U.S. 202 (1982), saw the Supreme Court of the United States strike down a state statute denying funding for education to children who were illegal immigrants. It established that regardless of legal status, illegal immigrants are still 'persons' and thus protected as such under some provisions the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments of the US Constitution, notably the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. This precedent has been interpreted to mean that illegal immigrants should also enjoy equal protection in regard to access to driver's licenses.

 

[swatiraohnlu]

* Offering drivers licenses to illegal aliens will improve national security - Drivers licenses to illegal aliens will bring these individuals out from the shadows into the open. This is good for security in general, as it allows for greater tracking of individuals and leads to greater individual feelings of accountability within a societ that they are part of.

* Post 9/11 fears should not cause the US to deny driver's licenses to illegal immigrants - To let the fear of terrorists drive immigration policy in the United States, is to let the terrorist enemy win. While some fears are warranted, the United States should not let these fears dictate its most basic, open, immigrant-nation principles.

* It is already very easy for illegals to fake their identity; offering them driver's licenses won't change much. - Driver's licenses are not the end-all-be-all of identity in the United States. Illegal immigrants are effectively faking passports, driver's licenses, and other items of identification. Therefore, the provision of driver's licenses won't be too dramatic of a shift.

 

[swatiraohnlu]

* Driver's licenses for illegal immigrants will generally lower insurance costs - Because illegal immigrant drivers are a greater risk on the road, and because they do not have insurance, they make it necessary for insurance companies to raise rates for everyone. If illegal aliens had driver's licenses, obtained the necessary driving instruction, and also qualified for insurance, then the general risk on roads would be dramatically reduced, along with insurance costs for everyone.

* Driver's licenses for illegal immigrants is economically beneficial

* Deporting illegal immigrants would cripple the US economy - Some argue that illegal immigrants should be deported, rather than provided legal licenses that further integrate them into society. The problem with this approach, however, is that it would withdraw from society the substantial contributions (economic and other) being made by illegal immigrants. The costs would be prohibitively high. Therefore, efforts to integrate illegal immigrants are necessary, including providing them with driver's licenses.