Immigration Case

Because the driver's license has become the unofficial form of national identification and is used for everyday functions, as well as government purposes, it is important to consider the manner in which the licenses are being distributed and who should be eligible to receive them. In addition, the events of September 11th and the rise in illegal immigration have made it imperative to reevaluate immigration practices and security measures, including driver's license issuance. In considering the use of driver's licenses as national ID or whether issuing driver's licenses to illegal immigrants is a sound practice, there are many arguments to take into account. Those who favor issuing driver's licenses to illegal immigrants argue that this practice will help the government keep tabs on illegal immigration, encourage illegal immigrants to follow US laws and work towards attaining legal status, and relieve the states from acting as immigration police. Those who are against this practice believe that it would weaken national security and increase our risk for another attack like 9/11, that it would encourage illegal behavior and cause illegal immigration to skyrocket, and would violate the rights of legal citizens in this country. The issuance of driver's licenses to illegal aliens is controversial. The debate on issuing driver's licenses to illegal immigrants has risen out of a response to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 and a growing problem with illegal immigration. All but one of the nineteen terrorists who hijacked the planes that went into the World Trade Center had either state issued driver's licenses or non-driver's identification cards ("Driver's Licenses for Illegal Aliens"). Seven out of the nineteen carried Virginia driver's licenses. Their driver's licenses did not expire when their visas did. These hijackers were able to open bank accounts, rent housing and board planes because they had proper identification. Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R, WI), sponsor of the Real ID Act, argues that for terrorists "travel documents are as important as weapons". The 9/11 attacks sparked a debate about the ease in which illegal immigrants are able to obtain licenses and whether or not issuing them makes our country safer or more dangerous.