Illegal Immigrants and Drivers Licenses
Flooding into the United States every day by the hundreds, illegal immigrants come searching for work and a better way of life. According to the INS, as of October 1996 the illegal population in the United States was approximately 5 million, with 275,000 arriving every year. An estimated 2 million illegal residents, or 40 percent of the current immigrant population live in California, as of October 1996. ... Due to this dependence on automobiles, recent statistics show that at least one million illegal immigrants may be driving without a license in California. Because these migrants are without a social security number and proof of legal residency, these drivers cannot obtain a drivers license, which in turn makes it impossible to buy an insurance policy for their car. For several years, California has seen much political debate over how we should treat undocumented immigrants and whether or not we should give them a driver’s license. Before the recent recall election, Governor Gray Davis flipped back and forth on this issue and in a news report stated that allowing the DMV to issue drivers licenses would raise security concerns.