Do they Deserve It?

The article Living Beneath the Surface, Unocumented and Unsure, reminds us that illegal immigrants are a major issue in the United States today. There are thousands of them all around us that try their best to blend in with society. Now Governor Eliot Spitzer wants to help these people accomplish this task by letting them get their driver’s license. According to him, this will reduce the rate of “hit and run accidents and other burdens imposed by uninsured drivers”. Even though this will not make them a citizen in any way, he thinks this is a good idea. Spitzer and his administration believe this will save $120 million a year in premiums that now cover the costs of those who are uninsured.
Undocumented immigrants are everywhere and would be extremely difficult to get rid of. But Governor Spitzer’s proposal is not the solution. I believe this is giving them an opportunity to stay in the United States. It makes them feel that we know about them being illegal, but its okay. And that is not the message we should be sending. This will only encourage more illegal immigrants to come across the border and over seas.
Most of these individuals use each other to become successful in this country. Because they do not have a social security number, they cannot do a number of things. It becomes impossible to get a credit card, a mortgage (due to no credit), automobile insurance, and even a telephone plan. Everything has to be done under someone else’s name that is actually a citizen. They network with each other to get by. And now the government wants to assist them.
According to Nicholas DiMarzio, the Roman Catholic bishop of Brooklyn, “There is a demand for the labor provided by immigrants, but no coherent system for recognizing their presence in society.” There is no straightforward solution to this problem that we face everyday. No one wants to admit that we subconsciously support their behavior by hiring them, buying their products, and letting them do things that “we” do not want to. They are around us and we see them everyday, but no one wants to say anything because, in the long run, they helped America to be what it is today. The reality is that it is wrong, but what are we as a society going to do?