License to drive

So DPS wants to prevent undocumented immigrants from driving. Good luck with that.

In a clampdown on illegal immigrants, the Texas Department of Public Safety has adopted a new policy requiring noncitizens to prove they are in this country legally before they can obtain or renew a driver's license.

Gov. Rick Perry applauded the change, which went into effect Oct. 1, as a way to strengthen the state's security.

"Texas is a great place to live and work, and while we welcome legally documented individuals to the Lone Star State, we must ensure that this privilege is not abused by those seeking to enter our country illegally," he said.

But Jim Harrington, director of the Texas Civil Rights Project, said the policy change is a bad idea because illegal immigrants are going to drive anyway.

"People have to drive to get to work. You want people to get (auto) insurance. They can't get insurance if they don't have a driver's license," he said.

I predict three things will result from this change in policy. One, as Harrington suggests, we'll see more unlicensed and uninsured drivers on the road. Two, the market for high-quality forged drivers licenses will significantly expand. And three, we will see at most a modest reduction in the number of undocumented folks who drive.

It's pretty simple, really. Like the issue of immigration itself, this is largely a matter of supply and demand. People want and need to continue driving, and they will do so regardless of what the law says. If the system becomes an obstacle, they'll work around it. We can wave magic wands all we want, we're not going to change that reality.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on October 10, 2008 to National news