On Thursday, California Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill that allowed illegal immigrants to own driver's licenses, making California the tenth state to do this. These licenses would permit illegal immigrants to drive and/or own a car, but a special marking will indicate that such licenses could not be used for federal purposes. Immigrant advocates rejoiced since they have long advocated for a law like this, and they see this as a step towards equality for illegal immigrants. The licenses are to be issued starting January 1, 2015.
How significant is this bill to the immigration reform? Do you think that this bill could influence further immigration reform laws? What is your stance on current immigration policies?
For more information: The Washington Times
5 comments:
I think that if this law is successful, then it will be a huge step forward for further immigration reform laws because it proves that the state is becoming more accepting of a reform. However, if this law is unsuccessful, then I think it will bring cause the immigration reform "movement" to go backwards because people will not support future immigration laws. To measure how successful this law will be depends on how many illegal immigrants actually get a driver's license.
I can understand the basic thought process behind this bill; unlicensed drivers are unsafe to have on the road and lead to an increase in the cost of insurance for legal drivers. However, I don’t agree with this bill. First, having a license to drive should be a privilege kept for those who are in the United States legally. By rewarding this right to illegal immigrants, California is sending the message that going through the process of obtaining legal residency or citizenship is not necessary or worth it. Illegal immigrants are not paying the same amount in taxes that legal residents pay to maintain roads and highways. Lastly, how will this be handled on a federal level? While this bill promotes the idea of safety for all, it is not promoting equality.
This summer I went to Fiji on a trip to study sharks with 12 other teenagers my age. There a girl from Texas said and I quote "I hate illegals because they take money out of my pocket and they are ruining this country" I think it's sad that many people in America (especially the South) don't understand the story of these immigrants. These are people who had nothing back home and they are just seeking opportunities. Some of them just want to live a happy life and be successful. Isn't that the American Dream? Plus, sorry for being a Sassy Silton, but fat Americans who do nothing and receive unemployment checks seem to be worse to this country than illegal immigrants are. I like this move by Jerry Brown it's a move in the right direction
Going off of Annika's point, the bill to a certain extent does send a misleading message to illegal immigrants. Although ideally California shouldn't be making decisions that indirectly make citizenship seem unnecessary, the reality is that currently there exists many illegal immigrants who are driving without licenses, and that if laws can be made to reduce that number and make the road safer, it doesn't make sense to not enact that law. I think that the signing of this bill was a good choice for California. However, Annika raises a great point about illegal immigrants paying less than legal residents for road maintenance, and I frankly cannot think of a counter to that argument.
I believe that this new bill is a good thing. With all the anti-immigrant talk I've heard in the past, it's good to know that steps are being taken to make their lives in this country a little easier. Even though California is known for being more liberal than most states, I think that this could prove to be a major step towards more immigration reform. California's decision to allow immigrants to own driver's licenses could potentially influence other states to follow suit and pass similar laws. With other states passing similar laws, it could lead to more immigration laws, with more benefits to immigrants. Frankly, I think this is something that should have happened a long time ago.
Post a Comment