Denial of Driver’s Licenses as a Denial of Services for and Personhood of Unauthorized Latinx Immigrants in Knoxville, Tennessee: A Literature Review

After the events of September 11, 2001, the United States enacted and expanded multiple policies and programs aimed at addressing national security concerns and racialized anti-immigrant sentiments. These included the creation of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the REAL ID Act of 2005, Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, the Secure Communities Program, and the Criminal Alien Program, among others. These policies and programs, along with general anti-Latinx immigrant sentiments, have had far-reaching effects on the ability of this population to access basic needs, fully participate in society as members of the United States, and fully realize a sense of personhood in the United States. In this paper, I will analyze the existing literature on the topic and examine how it relates to this population in Knoxville, Tennessee.