“We are truly a nation of immigrants. But we are also a nation of laws.” —Brent Ashabranner

Rafael Vega, an Illinois resident featured in a Chicago Tribune article, is a hard worker who drives to several factory jobs. He wants to obtain a driver’s license, but is unable to because he cannot provide a Social Security number on the application. Vega is an illegal immigrant, one of an estimated 300,000 in the state of Illinois.

Vega’s dilemma is an example of how illegal immigrants face predicaments about items most Americans take for granted, but it also reveals a societal divide over how immigrants should be treated. Some states, such as North Carolina and Utah, have made illegal immigrants eligible for driver’s licenses. Proponents of this policy argue that it makes the roads safer for everyone by ensuring that all drivers...