I agree with Helen’s comment about HB 3206, which would allow
illegal immigrants a chance to get a permit to drive on Texas roads and have
their vehicles insured. This bill also
states that the driving permit will be strictly for driving and it will not
allow anyone the right to board planes, vote or have other rights and privileges
that belong only to U.S. citizens. The person entitled to this permit will be fingerprinted, have
a background check and pay a fee of about $150.00. I think that Texas’s roads would be definitely safer because the
undocumented immigrants who will get driving permits would have to know the
traffic laws, understand our roads signs in English and be forced to have
insurance at all times. I have heard many stories about accidents where one of
the people involved in the crash runs off because he or she is afraid of being caught
without legal documentation and insurance.I believe this bill would prevent those
kinds of situations.
On the other hand, our police officers would have the fingerprints of this group of
drivers and they would have the results of their background checks which will
facilitate their job if they need to find or arrest any of these individuals. This
bill doesn’t represent a change in their immigration status at all; it will
only allow illegal immigrants the right to buy car’s insurance. This will also
benefit the State in terms of finances after all. As Helen mentioned,
“there are more than 1.6 million immigrants in the state of Texas and many of them
drive”. If even a few of them decide to sign up for this, it will be worth it.