A proposal by New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer to allow illegal immigrants access to drivers' licenses is nothing short of a waste of time, money and resources.
The creation of fake documents for illegal immigrants has become a major problem in the United States. According to CNSNews.com, an investigation in January led by agents of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement working alongside six U.S. attorneys' offices discovered a large number of illegal immigrants with stolen identities. This was not an isolated event.
The Seattle Times reported a similar raid in which cash totaling $95,262 and $10,000 worth of computer equipment and specialty papers were discovered. The equipment and papers were used to print hundreds of fake drivers' licenses, work permits, green cards, Mexican birth certificates and Social Security cards.
To counter this trend, the state of New York has decided to allow illegal immigrants to acquire drivers' licenses. According to CNN, the executive order, which Spitzer announced in September, is supposed to be a solution to the problem New York has, because between 500,000 and 1 million illegal immigrants are driving without licenses or with fake IDs. Legally bestowing the privilege of driving is unwise because it rewards illegal behavior.
Michael Cutler, from the Family Security Foundation, said on the organization's Web site that the proposal flies in the face of common sense because "under federal law anyone who provides transportation to an illegal alien is committing a felony punishable to up to five years of incarceration and seizure of the vehicle used to transport such an illegal alien."
This baffling phenomenon, where the proposal and federal law essentially contradict each other, was a creation of the Democratic Party - the party full of indiscernible viewpoints on important subjects. Take Hillary Clinton's performance in the last Democratic presidential debate, where even she was confused as to which side of Spitzer's proposal she was going to stand on.
Furthermore, the idea of giving an illegal immigrant a driver's license is unsafe. A license is a major form of identification used in business transactions and traveling.
In her column on EagleForum.org, Phyllis Schlafly, author of "Feminist Fantasies," wrote, "It confers a sort of quasi-citizenship, and as described by one illegal alien in Texas, 'The driver's license ends up becoming our pass to be in this country.'"
Illegal immigrants should not be granted access to this privilege because they already have broken our federal laws by failing to enter the country through the proper channels.
It quickly becomes apparent that illegal immigrants will have no need to obtain an official driver's license from the state of New York because they have alternate methods of getting forms of identification while still remaining just out of the government's sight and reach.
The problem with illegal immigration should be dealt with in a way that does not compromise the safety and security of U.S. citizens. Attempting to grant drivers' licenses to illegal immigrants merely encourages more illegal behavior.
Brigitte Brecheisen is a sophomore in political science and international relations. Please send comments to opinion@spub.ksu.edu.
