Oregon is trying to decide if young immigrants accepted into President Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program can get driver’s licenses.

The legal problems are significant, but if officials can find a solution, we would all benefit from having the young adults driving legally, having passed a test and carrying insurance.

The deferred action program allows certain illegal immigrants to get a two-year work permit, which may be renewable but does not grant amnesty or provide a path to citizenship. Applicants must have come to the U.S. before age 16, been here for at least five years, be younger than 30, have no criminal record and must have earned a high school diploma or still be in school or a military veteran.

The crucial question is whether becoming a deferred action recipient makes the person’s residence here legal, which is required to get an Oregon permit, license or identification card.

In October, DMV told field officers not to grant such licenses until a firm decision was made, according to The Oregonian, but apparently confusion lead to some being granted anyway. On Dec. 14, the department said it would not issue the licenses, but this week said it’s still discussing the issue with the Oregon Department of Justice.

The deferred action program has created a legal status that doesn’t fit Oregon law, leaving state officials with a difficult decision. Several states, including Michigan, Arizona and Nebraska, have decided not to grant such licenses, according to The Oregonian.

The difficulty is illustrative of the flawed nature of the president’s program, which attempts to solve one small piece of the immigration dilemma on a short-term basis. It creates a pseudo-legal status for a limited group, and it’s likely this question of driver’s licenses is only one of many such difficulties that will arise.

Still, the deferred action recipients will be here in Oregon, and driving legally and with insurance is better than driving illegally. Any plan to accommodate them should ensure the licenses can’t be used to incorrectly prove legal status and aren’t granted for longer than the immigration deferral period.