Why Denying Driver’s Licenses to Undocumented Immigrants Harms Public Safety
and Makes Our Communities Less Secure
The question of whether undocumented immigrants should obtain driver’s licenses has been
hotly debated in almost every state in the country. But the debate has been a distraction
from the real issues that states face in promoting public safety and protecting their
communities. States need to create practical, workable solutions, and denying undocumented
immigrants licenses is simply bad public policy. It increases uninsurance rates and the number of
unlicensed drivers, and it undermines effective law enforcement.
Approximately 12 million undocumented immigrants currently live in the U.S. For the
most part, these immigrants don’t live alone, but with family members who either are U.S.
citizens or otherwise authorized to be in the U.S. For the most part, they also are
employed, supporting their families and paying U.S. taxes.
Our immigration system is broken and needs to be fixed, but driver’s license restrictions
are not the answer. Immigrants do not come to this country to get a driver’s license, and
they will not leave because they are ineligible for one.
Congress must act to pass a comprehensive legalization bill that brings undocumented
immigrants out of the shadows. In the meantime, states must pass responsible policies that
protect everyone’s public safety.
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