Change Your World Week Winter 2021 (Archived)

What issue have you identified in the community, and what are the negative consequences of it?

The problem of concern we will be covering is the hardships that undocumented illegals face without a driver's license. We have about 12 million undocumented people here in the U.S. every day these people live in fear while driving their children to school, to doctor appointments, or on their way to work so that they are able to provide for their family. With a license, they would no longer have to worry about being detained if pulled over, deported, or face being separated from their family. Them not having a license should be a concern to all of us, as they are driving on the same roads we are except they have no proper training and do not know the basic safety rules of driving on the roads as we do. With a license, it would mean that they have proven to have the ability to drive safely on the roads. More than 14% of car accidents are caused by people who do not have a license. New Mexico is just one of the states that have allowed undocumented illegals to have a license that has shown a decrease in accidents. Making it accessible for these people to get a license is truly in the best interest of all of us.   

In the eyes of law enforcement:

Driving in the US without a driver's license is a serious offense. Offenders can face fines as well as some jail time. It is no question that driving without a license is a serious issue, so why don’t we allow undocumented immigrants to obtain their driver's license?  Although here illegally, they are here, and they work like everybody else. In the states where undocumented immigrants cannot obtain a driver's license, they are driving illegally which can cause more issues. The first issue that this poses is that the roads are more dangerous when occupied by people who do not have a driver's license. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that “unlicensed drivers are almost five times more likely to be in a fatal crash than are validly licensed drivers”. This can lead to an increase in "hit and run" accidents because undocumented immigrants being scared of law enforcement. If undocumented immigrants were to have a driver's license, they would have the proper driving skills and most importantly they would be able to be identified by law enforcement. Allowing them to have a driver's license will create safer roads and safer communities, as well as safer situations for law enforcement during traffic stops, knowing who is behind the wheel.

What government action can be taken to address the issue?

The policy solution we have chose is that illegal immigrants should have a drivers license in the US. It will be easier for law enforcement to recognize the immigrants with their own license. There is many reasons these immigrants should have a license, to keep track of how many there are, so they can drive legally, and to help them get better jobs so in the end make better money. One major problem that arose in our class, we were all worried that these immigrants would be too scared to get a license. We thought they would all have the fear of being deported for going somewhere that includes the government. But our questions were answered by an immigration professional, his name is Oscar Castaneda. He spoke to our class about immigration and really opened our eyes. He told us “these immigrants would be happy to go get one, as long as they feel safe where they are” , by this he means if the immigrants feel safe and secure where they are living they will feel comfortable going to any Secretary of State office to get a license. By being comfortable they know they will not be deported or turned in for coming forward to get a license.  There are plenty of states that already have this in full effect. Feel free to visit the NCSL website to see for yourself. This website will give you some background behind each state and the issue. There was a major issue almost everyone should know about that made it a lot harder for these immigrants to get a license. That issue was 9/11, after the attack on the twin towers immigrants were viewed as bad people by the media. People don't understand how much immigrants help our economy, these immigrants that come here are simply looking for jobs to make more money.

These immigrant do many jobs for a cheap price you couldn’t make someone do in America for less than twenty dollars. Most of these people coming into our country are just here to make a good amount of money and go back home to their families.

The policy solution that I chose is that illegal immigrants should have a U.S. driver's license.This policy will have immigrants get an ID in their residency to help law enforcement easily identify them and see if they’re breaking any rules. With this new ID it would allow the immigrants to pay taxes and find better jobs. According to Clinicleagao.org  states that have extended driving privileges to undocumented residents have seen the poaitive effect it can have on traffic. For an example California let undocumented residents in january of 2015 and it decreased the amount hit and runs due to the fact that the immigrants now have drivers license and because law enforcement officers were prohibited from reporting them to immigration authorities. There are many states who have already enacted this law. According to National Conference State Laws (NCSL) These states include California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and District of Columbia. All these states have different requirements for people who get the licenses. Some require a birth certificate, valid passport, social security number, Foreign birth certificate, Foreign passport, or just simply proof of current residency in the specific state  like a utility bill  and application fee. According to Oscar Castaneda who explained to our class that “before 2009 in Michigan, immigrants were able to get a license but 9/11 made it all stop”. Due to this alot of immigrants now just stay in hiding and aren't willing to come out.  These licenses may provide mobility especially in areas where transportation  is scarce where many immigrants live it could be hard for them to attend court  hearings, I.C.E. check-ins, job interviews, taking their child to school and many more. This document is used for only limited activities such as driving within the state,picking up prescriptions, and opening up a bank account in certain states. They cannot be used to enter federal buildings, getting through airport security, and even voting.

What are people saying about the issue from both sides? 

    With undocumented immigrants flooding into the country more than ever these days it has sparked the question should, undocumented immigrants be allowed to have drivers' licenses and I say” no.” One of the reasons behind this is since illegal immigrants who drive aren't insured, which in turn leads to undocumented immigrants either not paying for insurance at all or buying the coverage for one month and never paying again. This leads to immigrants fleeing the scene of accidents and even fleeing the country depending on how dangerous the wreck was. I feel that if American citizens must be held responsible for their actions on the road, so should illegal immigrants. (“Bad reasons to give driver's license to illegal immigrants.”2021)

Another reason illegal immigrants shouldn't have a license is it sets a bad example for other undocumented immigrants. If immigrants from other countries, see and get back the word that undocumented immigrants are allowed on the road we as a country would have an influx of unlicensed and uninsured drivers on the road. It also would send the wrong message to legal residents and citizens who play by the rules and fulfill their obligations every day, including paying taxes. (“ Driver's license for illegal immigrants: should NJ grant them”2019)

My last reasoning on why I believe Illegal immigrants shouldn't be allowed to have licenses is that it can prevent unnecessary crashes and death. 20 % of fatal car crashes involve an in documented immigrant, there are 7,300 people who lose their life annually to car accidents half were caused by illegal immigrants. Like the life of Richard Rackowski a motorist who was struck and killed by an undocumented immigrant driving, The assailant Antonio Sanchez tried to flee the scene, but later was caught by law enforcement and bring up on charges. This should be the primary reason illegals shouldn't be allowed on the road, and because of it a family will never see their son again. (“ Illegal immigrants should not be allowed to get driver license,”2017)

Here’s our petition we made to create a way for everyone else to get involved!! Feel free to sign it if you like, it would really help us!
http://chng.it/nRwQLPxP