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April 17, 2004
Driving Legally:
Good Policy or Just Politics?
By Domenico Maceri/HispanicVista.com
In the 2000 presidential election George
W. Bush once asked a Latino group for
their "botas" (boots)
instead of their "votos"
(votes). His brother Jeb Bush, Governor
of Florida, speaks Spanish much better
and would not make that kind of mistake.
Jeb spent significant time in
Mexico, where he met his wife, Columba
Garnica Gallo.
Jeb Bush beats his
older brother with language but also with
deeds when it comes to reaching out to
Latinos. During his three years as
president, George Bush has done virtually
nothing of substance to earn Latinos'
votes. Jeb's recent support
of a Florida bill which would allow
undocumented workers to obtain driver's
licenses, on the other hand, is good
policy and may even help his older
brother extend his stay in the White
House.
Sponsored by Sen.
Rudy Garcia (R-Hialeah), SB 1360 would
allow undocumented workers and temporary
legal residents of Florida to obtain
driver's licenses.
To qualify for
licenses, applicants would have to
provide an identity card issued by
their consulate or embassy and a second
form of identification, such as an
employee ID card. They would have to pay
for criminal background checks performed
by their country of origin as well
as US government agencies.
Applicants would be fingerprinted and the
information would become part of official
databases. The licenses would be legal in
Florida only and their color would be
different from that of other licenses.
Allowing
undocumented workers to drive legally
is politically astute but also
beneficial to society. Many law
enforcement officers believe that
undocumented workers should be allowed to
drive legally because safety would
increase for all of us. Knowing who is
driving on our roads makes the job of
local and state police easier. People
don't flee from a routine traffic stop if
they have papers. Nor do they flee if
they get into an accident.
In addition, having
licenses means that people qualify for
insurance, which would reduce rates
for all of us. In essence, since people
are inside our tent, it makes sense to
know who they are and be sure that they
have proper training if they operate a
motor vehicle.
The opposition to
driver's licenses for undocumented
workers focuses on the unwillingness to
reward individuals who have broken the
law because it would encourage more
illegal immigration. Yet, as Jeb Bush has
stated, controlling the border is the
federal government's job. States are
trying to deal with the local reality as
best as they can.
That's why Alaska,
Connecticut, Idaho, Louisiana, Montana,
Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio,
Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Washington
and West Virginia allow undocumented
workers to apply for driver’s
licenses.
Coming out in
support of SB 1360, Jeb Bush said that
while illegal immigration should be
opposed, once people are in our country
we shouldn't treat them as
"lepers" or claim, "they
don't exist."
His motivation,
however, was quickly denounced. It was
seen as an attempt on the part of
Republicans to woo Latino voters in
Florida. That may be true.
The razor-thin
presidential election of 2000 is fresh in
everyone's memory. Although the
Cuban-American vote in Florida is solidly
Republican, the Latino population of the
state has become increasingly diverse.
More than 13% of Florida's Latinos are
Mexicans. In addition, there is an
increasing presence of Latinos from South
American countries who lean Democratic.
There is no doubt
that if SB 1360 becomes law, it
would have some positive effect on the
Latino population in Florida to vote for
the GOP.
To be sure, anything
politicians do is always subject to be
seen as an attempt to gain an advantage
in future elections. That's how many
Californians saw Gray Davis' signing of
SB 60, in September of 2003. The law
allowed undocumented workers to obtain
driver's licenses. Voters saw it as a way
for Davis to get the Latino support and
avoid being recalled.
SB 60 was never
implemented. With pressure from Arnold
Schwarzenegger, the new governor, the
California legislature repealed the law.
Sen. Gil Cedillo, (D-Los Angeles), its
chief sponsor, also voted for the repeal
but promised new legislation would be
introduced which would have
Schwarzenegger’s support.
Several months have
gone by since the repeal of SB 60. Is it
time for Cedillo and Schwarzenegger
to act on their promise?
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Domenico Maceri (dmaceri@hotmail.com),
PhD, UC Santa Barbara, a contributing
columnist to HispanicVista.com (www.hispanicvista.com),
teaches foreign languages at Allan
Hancock College in Santa Maria, CA.
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