Periscope - Urgent Change Is Needed

By NiallO’Dowd

LIFE for undocumented Irish has become increasingly difficult post-September 11, and recent events have conspired to make things even worse.

In the past few months new restrictions on driving licenses have been sought in New York and several other states. Essentially the move makes it impossible for an undocumented person to drive legally. 

Obviously, if more sweeping driving laws are passed they will have a profound impact on the many Irish and other ethnic groups who depend on a vehicle to get to work or go about their daily lives.

But the inability to maintain proper insurance will have its impact on the population at large. Which is more damaging — undocumented immigrants with legal licenses and insurance, or uninsured drivers taking to our highways on the basis of these new laws? Ask the first person who gets hit by such a driver and you will probably find the answer.

There is the glimmer of a compromise this week, with the Pataki administration in New York considering a substitute document which would allow undocumented aliens to drive and get insurance, but not open bank accounts or secure other identity documents.

Such a substitute document could undoubtedly lead to further abuse in the system, as has already been happening in Tennessee where this experiment is being tried. Production of the document ensures that the person’s status can be exploited. 

What is happening already is that many undocumented drivers are renting box numbers and applying for licenses in other states where there are no restrictions on undocumented people acquiring licenses.

It should be possible to fashion a compromise where the driver’s license list is checked regularly for wanted felons or anyone suspected of harboring terrorist leanings. However, refusing to allow licenses to those who merely seek to eke out a living seems counterproductive, especially for those unfortunate drivers who may find themselves in a collision with one such person.

It is a case where the perfect solution is the enemy of the reasonable and workable one. Many Americans believe it would be wonderful if all illegal aliens went home, despite the catastrophic impact on the economy as a result. 

Until that Nirvana can be reached, however, we should all face the reality that an imperfect solution to the issue of a driver’s license is better than a disastrous one.

Then there are the tightened restrictions at U.S. airports and the increasing difficulty that people have entering and leaving the country. This is having a profound impact on many undocumented who can no longer go home for the gravest family emergencies, if they occur.

In the Irish community there are clear signs that this is causing severe depression and other problems to recent immigrants. We have been told of suicides as a result, and the incredible difficulty that is being caused for families in Ireland who cannot see their loved ones here unless they travel over themselves.

Such matters may again be seen in a legalistic light as yet another example where September 11 provisions are starting to work. It is nothing of the sort, however. 

In many cases the provisions are only causing profound heartache, even suicides in some cases, and creating new opportunities for smugglers, whether they be in Canada or on the Mexican border, to exploit aliens who have gone home and who need assistance to come back.

The muddle we are in makes it clear that one of the leading priorities of the next U.S. president must be to enact a comprehensive immigration bill which can address all these issues. Given the state of political paranoia in this country at present, however, we won’t hold our breath.