Debate Topic Summary Raj Master
BCOM/275
March 23, 2015
Dr. O

Pro Side Debate Summary The pro side debate summary related to the illegal immigrants being allowed to apply for a California driver’s license has several advantages. Our learning team discussed the pro side of this topic which has been considered a highly controversial subject. In 2013, the state California passed Bill AB60, which took effect in 2015 which allows illegal immigrants to apply for a driver’s license. According to Berman, when he signed the law last year, Gov. Jerry Brown (D) praised it as a way to show that these Californians did not have to hide. “No longer are undocumented people in the shadows,” he said. “They are alive and well and respected in the state of California.” Brown’s office also noted that the law explicitly prohibits these licenses being used for any sort of investigation or arrest based on immigration status. The new law makes California one of the 10 states, along with Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico, to give out licenses this way, according to the National Immigration Law Center. (Berman, 2015) The bill was written by Assemblyman Luis Alejo (D-Salinas). The assemblyman represents a district which is a center of the agricultural industry with a flourishing populating of illegal immigrant farm workers. According to ProCon.org, the law requires the DMV to issue a California driver's license to anyone who can satisfactorily establish California residency. If the driver cannot show proof of legal residency (with a social security number, for example), the license will have a "recognizable feature" to distinguish the license from those issued to legal residents. The law makes it illegal to discriminate against anyone who holds a driver's license with that mark. The license may not be used for identification purposes. (ProCon.org, 12/1)
The immigrant