Undocumented immigrant drivers are learning to steer clear of Waukegan, where a routine traffic stop can cost more than their cars are worth. If the driver doesn’t have a license — and those who are here illegally can’t get one — then the vehicle is impounded. To get it back, the owner pays $500, plus $170 for towing and $35 a day for storage.
It’s a nice little moneymaker for the city, which has towed 8,000 vehicles since 2004. But city officials insist the goal is to ensure public safety. Unlicensed drivers are a danger to themselves and others. And they can’t get insurance, so if they’re involved in an accident, someone else ends up paying for the damage.
Tens of thousands of immigrants are believed to be driving without licenses in the state. They’ve never been tested to prove they know the rules of the road or how to operate a vehicle safely. They don’t have insurance. But those obstacles haven’t prevented them from getting behind the wheel, putting themselves and others at risk.
So let them drive legally. The Illinois House of Representatives has passed a bill that would allow people who have no Social Security number to supply other documents and get a “driver’s certificate” instead of a license. The certificate could not be used for boarding a plane or buying a firearm. It would simply allow them to drive legally. They would have to pass the usual tests and buy insurance. The certificate would be revoked if they didn’t get insurance within 30 days.
The measure is running into trouble in the Senate, where some supporters have hit the brakes because of angry feedback from their constituents. “This issue has lit up my phones like no other issue in years,” said Sen. Christine Radogno (R-Lemont).
A South Elgin man who testified before a Senate committee said passing such a bill amounted to “aiding and abetting criminals.” That echoed the words of Rep. Ed Sullivan Jr. (R-Mundelein), who voted against the measure in the House: “I don’t believe we should reward people for being here illegally,” he said.
Don’t think of it as rewarding illegal immigrants. Think of it as protecting them and everybody else. Some may still drive illegally, as do some citizens. But most of the immigrants will learn the rules of the road and get insurance so they can drive with a certificate. It works that way in tax law: Given the chance to operate on the right side of the law, 70 percent of illegal workers regularly pay taxes using a taxpayer identification number.
The immigration system needs an overhaul so that the workers we need don’t have to come here illegally, and Congress is working on that.
The Illinois General Assembly, meanwhile, should keep its eyes on the road. It’s in everyone’s best interests for immigrants to be able to drive safely and legally. Even in Waukegan.
