Should Illegal Immigrants be given Drivers Licenses - Essay Example

Hassan Al-Ansari Should Illegal Immigrants be given Driver’s Licenses? The United s faces numerous challenges that arise from the illegal immigration. Technology has helped the development of immigration fraud such that the chances of illegal immigrants finding their way into the United States are higher today than ever before. One of the most notable questions touches on allowing the illegal immigrants the right to have driver’s licenses. Ten states already allow the illegal immigrants to get access to the drivers license. However, the rest of the states are still dealing with the debate on whether illegal immigrants should be allowed to gain access to driver’s licenses or not. Thesis statement: Disregarding the status, driver’s licenses must be allowed to illegal immigrants because the same can reduce road accidents and can help the authorities to collect and document information on illegal immigrants in general. First of all, the status as ‘illegal’ hinders the immigrants from gaining drivers’ licenses. On the other side, government authorities provide ample importance to public safety and consider that allowing immigrants the right to have drivers license is against public safety. So, one can see that the primary reasons behind this problem include the issue of safety and training. Still, those who defend the rights of illegal immigrants are of the opinion that giving the illegal immigrants the right to access to driver’s license will actually reduce the danger of road accidents. The process of having the road license demands that the applicant be trained on how to drive on the American roads. To be specific, the defenders of the debate add weight to their arguments by stating that the access to the right of having road licenses increases the safety of the rest of the Americans. They also include that the actual denial of driver’s licenses to the illegal immigrants does not necessarily mean that they will not be driving. Besides, the one and only factor which hinders them from gaining access to driver’s license is their status as illegal immigrants, not less experience in driving and awareness on safety. Anderson Stuart stated that licensing must be considered as an essential way to identify those who have access to the roads by gaining driving licenses (143). On the other side, allowing driver’s license to illegal immigrants can protect others drivers and passengers who are allowed to use roads in a legal manner. By allowing the immigrants the right to have the license can help the government to have proper documentation on illegal immigrants. The defenders of the debate also think that the act of allowing the illegal immigrants to have the road licenses will help prevent the recurrence of the immigration fraud that facilitated their entry and stay in the United States. Licensing process helps in the documentation of the road users in terms of the residential area and other information. So, one can see that proper documentation can help both the illegal immigrants and the government authorities. For this reason, the documentation of the immigrants is a good reason for allowing them to have the license. The documentation of the immigrant (will) also help them access motor insurance. It means that in the event that there is an accident; the involved parties will be ready for any problem. To be specific, most of the immigrants may be may be less willing to take up the licenses because they suspect that this will expose their fraudulence related to immigration. Besides, this keeps most of the immigrants away from proper documentation related to immigration. The fact that the plan of the information will expose their fraud stay does not appeal to the immigrants that often have to risk driving without the license. One can see that the denial of the right to access of licenses by the immigrants does not help in the prevention of illegal immigration. To be specific, it is difficult to prevent illegal immigration by denying motor licenses to the illegal immigrants. Instead, this leads further problems related to public safety because the risk of loss of life on roads cannot be ignored. Similarly, those who are against allowing driver’s license to illegal immigrants argue that the license will accord the immigrants similar right to the legal immigrants and other citizens. This argument is not logical because the only difference between an illegal immigrant and a legal immigrant is that the former gained access to the nation through illegal method and the latter gained access through legal method. Besides, the immigration status of the illegal immigrants will be the same regardless of whether they have the license or not. To be specific, it is important to consider immigration law violation and road safety/public safety as different. David M Haugen, Susan Musser, and Kacy Lovelace stated that illegal immigrants pose threat to national security (45). Some people consider that the issuance of licenses to the immigrants is same as allowing them to stay. It is a symbol of the acceptance that the government accords them regardless of their obvious ignorance for the immigration laws. In some instances, the opponents compare the act of issuing driver’s licenses to the immigrants to accepting them in the country. The idea created in the minds of the rest of the Americans is that the government is allowing the ignorance of the law. In short, the country is more conscious about the security issues and allowing the illegal immigrant access to the licenses poses security threats. To be specific, illegal immigration results in security problems because illegal immigrants gain access to the nation and live without proper documentation. If they commit any crime, there is no document to prove their identity. As a result, the prevention of the illegal immigrants from accessing drivers licenses is a means of supporting the security of the country. It is seen by large as an act of improving the security protocols in the nation. On the other side, people who are not in favor of allowing driver’s license to immigrants point out the security reasons and the problems related to illegal immigration. As a result, the government has to be working on how to locate them and deport them to their nations. Issuance of driver’s license to the immigrants is counter progressive on gains made on security. If the illegal immigrants are not allowed to gain access to motor licenses, they will try other illegal methods. So, the best policy is to allow illegal immigrants to go through proper documentation process and to motivate them to gain access to motor license. Work Cited Anderson, Stuart. Immigration. Santa Barbara, Calif.: Greenwood, 2010. Haugen, David M, Susan Musser, and Kacy Lovelace. Immigration. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2009. Read More