July 23, 1999
Commentary
By M. Gloria Hernandez
It's 1999 and California is being held back by the nightmares that Prop 187 gave birth to. The approval of denying driver's licenses or California Identification Cards to those that could not prove legal status nor provide a social security number is one of the state's biggest errors in judgement. It now costs California taxpayers $1.8 million to have 54 DMV staff persons to check the legal status of applicants, causing undue delays for many of us.
This money could go to establishing or bettering our public transportation systems, and quit our reliance on private transportation, especially for those residing or conducting business in the rural areas.
The opposition against AB1463 is still stuck in the year 1994: They believe allowing documented people to obtain a driver's license or an ID sanctions them for crossing the border illegally. In addition, that by allowing undocumented people a drivers license, we are providing them a benefit. And of course, my favorite, a driver's license encourages people to cross the border. The anti-immigrant issue is old and more research is needed, as to why people really come across, just like the pilgrims in the Mayflower and others, there are good reasons.
The most important issue here is safety for all. We have to stop pretending that undocumented people are not here. We have to make sure that if they are driving then they have to acquire a license and insurance like the rest of us. "A driver's license is a privilege not a benefit, so you need to study and pass a test, otherwise you will be a danger to others" Mr. Champion, my old driving class teacher would tell me. I believe those words still apply.
Repealing the legal requirement makes good business sense. Everyday, unlicensed drivers are fined, vehicles are towed and impounded. Many of them having experience that this occur daily in the valley, often purchase old vehicles, they can afford to "give up". In addition, since they do not have a license, they cannot purchase insurance as required by other state laws. If allowed to obtain a driver's license, many of these people will take the test, assuring the rest of us that they are in fact able to drive and follow California traffic laws. They will purchase insurance (as most of us do) and will invest and purchase more expensive vehicle, since they will not be giveaways. If we repeal the law, those benefiting will be the DMV, (more drivers and vehicle license fees), car dealers (more expensive cars being purchased) finance/bank loan officers (money!) insurance brokers, smog mechanics, gas stations, and the state of California with the added revenues.
The right to an identity is a human right. When the refugees from Kosovok were being driven from their homes, the first thing taken were their identification documents. To make them feel inhuman. As a mother and grandmother, I want to know immediately if my daughter, granddaughter or other family members are in an accident. The NEWS often states that others will learn who the victim was "pending notification to the family". This dictates to me a time to privately grieve, before this knowledge becomes public. Undocumented persons do not have this luxury, often learning about the death of a love one through the media.
We cannot pretend that undocumented people are not here and by barring them to a driver's license, we are stopping them from crossing the border. We cannot pretend that some of them have mixed status families, (some are US citizens) who are harmed by this unjust law. We cannot pretend that the backlog of 28,000 INS cases are being denied equal protection under the law. If INS did their job as rapidly as they increase the fees, these people would be legal already. We cannot pretend they are not human and do not feel pain like you and I do. We cannot pretend that the drivers license issue affects only undocumented people it also affects you and me. We cannot pretend to know that business is hurting because of this law. Nor can we pretend that you and I and our love ones will not benefit from the increase safety, when this unjust law is repealed. Lets stop pretending that we are still stuck in 1994 and move on to the year 2000 and make this the great state it was.
(Ms. Hernandez is coordinator of the Immigrant Women's Access Project in Fresno, CA and has an extensive history of involvement in community issues, particularly those affecting immigrant families.)
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