The N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles will begin issuing special driver’s licenses by the end of the month that unnecessarily single out and stigmatize N.C. immigrants who came to this country as children.
The driver’s licenses, set to be issued starting March 25, will feature a pink header with the words “NO LAWFUL STATUS” and “LIMITED TERM” emblazoned across the front.
The licenses practically affix scarlet letters to all who carry them.
Some have claimed that the colored licenses are a good compromise between those who want more rights for illegal immigrants and those who want law enforcement to be able to determine who is legal and who is not.
But this compromise is illogical. A driver’s license should be a license to operate an automobile, not a mark of citizenship.
So what is the rationale for designating immigrants as unlawful on a driver’s license? It would seem to be naked politics at best and sheer prejudice at its worst.
While making these licenses available for immigrants is a good step forward, the unfair labels will reinforce stigmas, creating a needless division for immigrants.
Moreover, the immigrants who are eligible for this program are contributing members of society — they’ve all either served in the military, graduated from high school or are currently in school. The idea that these immigrants are merely leeching resources from the rest of society is simply false.
Denying them standard driver’s licenses needlessly hampers their ability to provide for themselves and their families.
