Illegal immigration is a problem. Since the federal government isn’t effectively dealing with it, states and localities have tried to confront it. Some states, such as New Mexico, have tried to attack it by giving driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants. Recently, Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck announced that he thinks California should follow suit. While it seems reasonable, if California were to grant driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants it would only hurt the state.
Beck has offered a variety of reasons for instituting this plan. According to the Los Angeles Times, Beck thinks granting licenses to the undocumented would make the roads safer and cops could more easily identify illegal immigrants.
Moreover, the Times reports that Beck thinks hit-and-run accidents would decrease because illegal immigrants wouldn’t be worried about being busted at the scene for not having licenses. Yet Beck does recognize that politicians in Sacramento would have to ensure that giving undocumented immigrants licenses wouldn’t “make it easier for terrorists to go undetected.”
Giving licenses to illegal immigrants would not effectively prevent hit-and-runs. While the undocumented wouldn’t have to worry about being caught without licenses, they would still worry about being caught without insurance. Car insurance is mandatory in California, and those caught without it face stiff penalties. Being that most illegal immigrants have scarce resources, even if they were granted driver’s licenses, it’s unlikely they would have car insurance, which they probably couldn’t afford.
Moreover, those in support of the licenses assert that because illegal immigrants would have to take driver’s tests, roads would be safer and cops could more easily find illegal immigrants. It’s probably true that having them take driving tests would make the roads somewhat safer, but it’s unlikely that they would stop driving even if they failed the driver’s test.
Also, many illegal immigrants already tend to drive safely due to their fear of being caught, so any effects on safety would be marginal. In terms of police identifying illegal immigrants, while driver’s licenses would make it easier for cops to identify them, the effect on a community would be marginal at best.
Many undocumented immigrants in the state know from experience that local cops generally aren’t intent on deporting them, so in cases of crimes they are more likely to cooperate. If they are the perpetrator of the crime, of course they aren’t going to cooperate, but then, what self-interested criminal does cooperate with the police when they’ve committed a crime?
In addition, giving driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants might encourage them to flock to California. New Mexico has seen immigrants pour into the state since they started the practice in 2003, and The Associated Press has reported numerous cases of fraud.
With California in financial distress and its resources sapped, the last thing the state needs is more people, let alone people without documentation.
Not to mention, if California does this, it might face serious issues with the federal government because of federal regulations imposed by the REAL ID Act. One of the Act’s requirements regarding state identification is that states must have “proof of identity and lawful status of an applicant.”
If states don’t fulfill all of these requirements by the 2013 deadline, then federal agencies such as the TSA won’t be able to accept identification from these states. So if California started issuing licenses to illegal immigrants, Californians would have a tough time boarding airplanes.
All of these factors render the potential program nonviable for California.
Leonardo Poareo is a senior journalism major and a contributing writer for the Daily 49er.
