An Associated Press article reports that Indiana Commission on Hispanic/Latino Affairs will propose an arrangement whereby undocumented immigrants in Indiana would receive a special driver’s license if they pass an exam and buy auto insurance. I’m all for undocumented immigrants being put in a position where they can purchase auto insurance. I’ve sued a fair number of illegals who have gotten into auto accidents. By and large, they do better than the average uninsured motorist in trying to pay for the damage. This leads me to believe that they are uninsured more because of problems with getting the insurance than with an unwillingness to pay for insurance.
I know a lot of people will have problems with the perception that this condones illegal immigration. Maybe it does, but the fact of the matter is that immigration is an issue for the federal government, and the states don’t have a lot of policy making authority in that area. I believe the state’s best course of action is to mitigate, as best it can, any negative effects associated with the presence of illegal immigrants. So, making it easier for illegal immigrants to be insured when they drive makes a lot of sense to me. As a practical matter, I’m not sure it makes a lot of sense for the immigrant though — doesn’t this effectively put a big sign on their backs saying, “I’M HERE ILLEGALLY, COME AND GET ME!!!”?
(As an aside, I’m not sure what the best federal policy is to address illegal immigration. On the one hand, admittance to the country needs to be regulated, and breaking the law is not something I’m in favor of. On the other hand, most of the folks I’ve suspected to be here illegally seem like hard working folks devoted to the idea of a strong, tight-knit family. They seem like they’d love nothing more than to be given the opportunity to be active, upstanding citizens. I can’t necessarily say the same of a lot of our natural born citizens. There is an outstanding possibility, however, that my experience is not representative of the situation as a whole.)
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