Civil Rights are defined as "the protections and privileges of personal power given to all citizens by law. Civil rights are distinguished from 'human rights' or 'natural rights', also called 'our God-given rights'. " - (
Merriam Webster English Dictionary)
As U.S. citizens, we are granted these Civil Rights: The Right to assemble, The Right of free speech, The Right to bear arms, The Right to use our legal systems for redress of wrongs, The Right to work and The Right to equal opportunity. Although not listed as Constitutional rights, U.S. citizens are dually granted access to various social systems and benefits such as free education, Social Security, Welfare, Food Assistance Programs, Medicare, Medicaid, emergency healthcare, and more
Being legal is what grants you these rights, so what motivates anyone pursue legal status? It is like the old saying, “Why buy the cow when you get the milk for free.” That is what is happening when the big wigs succumb to just giving it up.
“Through a loophole found in the law, illegal immigrants are allowed to have the very same rights as a legal citizen”, says Jonathon Rosales, lawyer in Austin. For example, an illegal immigrant is allowed the right to sue for damages, just as a U.S. citizen would. Who really thinks this is just? One can understand that if a person cannot pay for their medical care, the state needs to pick up the bill, but other than that, to be awarded anything else seems unjust.
An example of big wigs giving it up is Democrat presidential candidate; Senator Hillary Clinton is considering granting the right to give illegal immigrant’s driver’s licenses. How about Bill Richardson, New Mexico’s governor and current Democrat presidential candidate, who in 2003 signed into legislation an approval for undocumented immigrants to receive driver’s licenses. Gov. Richardson claims that because he approved that, rates of uninsured motorists has gone from 33% to 10%. But according to Ken Ortiz, director of the state Motor Vehicle Division, whose department licenses drivers and enforces the insurance mandate, asserts that Richardson’s view is quite slanted. The main reason, Ortiz says, that the uninsured rate has gone down is because in the insurance mandate that commenced in 2002, insurance companies are required to electronically report coverage information directly to the state on a daily, weekly, monthly basis, thus inhibiting people from registering their cars with insurance and immediately dropping it afterward. If a person is found to not have insurance, their Vehicle Registration is suspended. The result: lots of illegals have driver’s licenses.
The fact is, a driver’s license is vital in order to function. You need it for practically everything. A driver’s license is a life source. Surviving without a driver’s license is tough, so to have it is a huge plus in ones’ life.
Dr. Frank Perez, of the UTEP Communication Department, does not feel that undocumented workers should be allotted all the same rights as a legal U.S. citizen. He does believe though, that through giving driver’s licenses, there are many benefits. Dr. Perez points out the billions of dollars that the undocumented workers send back to their families every year. “Perhaps if they are able to open checking accounts and savings accounts, some of those funds can stay in the U.S.” Additionally, they will have better driving skills and an improved understanding of U.S. law. In another instance, some illegal immigrants have children who are U.S. citizens, and with the capability to legally drive, this will enable the parents to provide for better educational opportunities. The downfall for the illegal immigrant, however, is that through having a driver’s license, they open themselves up to be collected and sent back to their homeland. We could experience a modern day repatriation like in the 1930’s after the stock market crashed.
Living in this border town, it is difficult to not be sympathetic to illegal immigrants because we live amongst each other. As U.S. citizens and Mexican citizens, we are constantly traveling back and forth between the borders. Legal or illegal, we all know and care for each other on so many levels in this community that is virtually fused into one. Now, removing the rose colored glasses and looking at the situation right and wrong, for what it is, illegal immigration is against the law, and based upon U.S. citizens rights should not be afforded to those that are not amongst the legal citizenry. But truly, what is the greater evil in it all?
