Immigrant or Drunk-Driver Checkpoints?

I actually have been wanting to write about this for a while, but never really found the time. But now that I sitting here in my living room...

We all have seen or been passed a "drunk-driving" checkpoint on the streets. According to the police departments, these are an "effort to reduce the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol involved crashes, DUI checkpoints are conducted to identify offenders and get them off the street, as well as educate the public on the dangers of impaired driving." But how much of this is true?

Last week in San Bernardino, I passed through a similar checkpoint. I was ok because I had not drank and I had my driver's license accounted for. But for so many people, that was not the case.

Many, coming home from a long day of work, the grocery store, or church, were asked to provide a license.

"No lo tengo señor." (I dont have it sir) This was the response of so many people. Because they did not have a license, they are ordered off the car, given a citation and impounded the car for 30 days.

For many, this was their only transportation to work. To many this was the only transportation to get to church, do errands, take their kids to school. But on this day, that changed. Not only were their car taken from them (roughly $1000 to get out of the inpound after 30days) but they have to now pay a fine for driving without a license.

Your first question might be, "Jonathan, how do you know this?" Simple, I have had this happen to close family members.

Let me start by saying, I understand what the police department is trying to do, protect our citizens from drunk driving. Against DRUNK DRIVING, not innocent people who are coming home from work.

Can we stop? Can we stop making people feel harrassed. These people are only here to make a living. All they want is to provide for their families.

On a different note, (related to driver's licenses, but not checkpoints) I know of this lady who drives an ice cream truck. Everyday, she wakes up, fills her truck with ice cream and sells to provide for her children. She is a single mother because her husband got recently deported to his home country. But one day, as she began her route, she was pulled over by police in San Bernardino. Herself, being undocumented, did not have a driver's license. THe officer confiscated the ice cream truck from her.

Why? This lady was not being a criminal? This lady was not being reckless. All she was doing was trying to provide for her children. She was not asking for charity. She was not asking for government support.

It is time that we look at our policies. We must stop making immigrants criminals. They are not criminals. they are hard working parents, students, sons and daughters. They are working people of the United States. Stop hurting people more than we already are. Lets give them the opportunity to go to work, pick up their children and support their families.

Stop harrassing and give them Driver's Licenses.