Undocumented Immigrants Obtaining a Driver's License: Right or Priviledge?

There was a time when coming to America as an immigrant, took a process of paper work, such as medical immunizations, and background checks, in order to become a citizen or even a pending citizen. Now, it has become much easier to obtain those papers for citizenship, without the thorough background checks. It has even been noted, “banks do not have the means to authenticate or validate documents provided by their customers and urges Treasury and the agencies to clarify that document authentication is not a CIP requirement” (Cocheo, 1906). Through careful research, surveys, public service ads and our very own personal blog we take a stance on the issue “rights vs. privileges ” Our campaign strives for hegemony on the realization that obtaining a state driver’s license is a privilege not a right.

A survey was conducted with participants between the ages of 30 – 55 years, with income levels ranging from low to middle class. This survey was design to get an understanding how people feel about undocumented immigrant want to attain driver’s licenses. According to the survey results, the majority answered “No” for issuance of driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants. Ironically, half of the participants were not US citizens. 65% of participants stated they knew an illegal immigrant and about 55% of the participants were unaware of this being an issue.

A 60 second Public Service Announcement was also created. It was a re-enactment of two friends discussing a terrible car accident that took place earlier that day. A family was injured and the driver was an undocumented immigrant with a driver's license.

While all immigrants living in the United States have some fundamental rights, as laid out in the United States Constitution, the majority of the rights are tied to legal status. The Constitution makes a significant distinction between “citizens’ and “persons.” So, in light of recent increased publicity on undocumented immigrants, issuing something as valuable as a driver’s license, to someone without proper papers for US citizenship, is a poorly thought-out idea, especially in a time when safety and security is a high priority. Therefore, knowing the issue presented before us all: should undocumented immigrants be allowed to obtain a driver’s license? Is it a right or a privilege?