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Campaign backs letting illegal immigrants drive
Sunday, March 5, 2006

By ELIZABETH LLORENTE
STAFF WRITER

A Middlesex County assemblyman and a group of immigration advocates have launched a series of mini "town halls" across the state to gather support for a bill that would allow illegal immigrants to drive.

The bill, introduced late last month, calls for the state Motor Vehicle Commission to issue a "driving privilege card" to people who cannot prove that they are in the United States lawfully. Unlike a driver's license, the cards would serve only as proof by the state of authorization to drive. The bill says the card -- which would expire after one year, but could be renewed -- may not serve as official identification.

"This is, really, a driving permit that would be an alternative to anyone who cannot adequately document their legal residence in the United States," said Assemblyman Joseph Vas, D-Middlesex, the measure's chief sponsor. "But these people would have to take the written examination and the driving examination, and they would have to have insurance. That adds to the safety of our roads."

Vas and backers of his bill expressed frustration over widespread misunderstanding -- including some press reports -- about the bill. Some critics and press reports have said erroneously that the bill allows regular driver's licenses to be issued to illegal immigrants.

Vas said he avoided proposing that illegal immigrants be allowed to obtain regular licenses because the Real ID Act -- passed by Congress last year and slated to take effect in 2008 -- would penalize states that issue standard licenses to people who are not lawfully in the country.

Vas and supporters are holding "information workshops" on the measure to set the record straight about the proposed bill and to build support for it at a time when many political leaders across the nation are calling for tougher treatment of illegal immigrants. On Monday, they plan to hold a press conference near the State House in Trenton to publicize the bill.

"We're going to different cities around New Jersey," said Mahonrry Hidalgo, chairman of the immigration committee of the Latino Leadership Alliance of New Jersey. "We're going to places like Trenton, Elizabeth, Hightstown and Passaic, sometimes on Saturday nights, sometimes after church on Sundays. We want people to understand this bill and why it is important for New Jersey to pass it."

Vas' measure includes an appropriation of $90,000 for a public education campaign about the cards. Earlier this year, Assemblyman Brian Stack, D-Union City, announced plans to introduce his own bill proposing a driving card for illegal immigrants. Stack aides say his bill is still being drafted.

Like many states, New Jersey tightened its license requirements after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the news that some of the hijackers had used driver's licenses to rent apartments, open bank accounts and board airplanes. New Jersey requires that people applying for a license demonstrate that they are in the United States lawfully.

People who favor strict immigration laws have assailed any attempt to allow illegal immigrants to drive. They argue that laws that facilitate life in any way for illegal immigrants undermine efforts to control U.S. borders. On the other side of the debate, some advocates for undocumented immigrants object to driving privilege cards because they say they single out people who are here illegally, and possibly put them in peril of deportation.

"Unfortunately, this bill will bring out xenophobic and ill-informed reactions of many of our politicians and histrionic talk-show hosts," said Guillermo Beytagh-Maldonado, a Latino community activist and moderator of NJLatinoIssues, an e-group of statewide Latino leaders. "I'm very concerned with the potential of it enabling further discrimination to productive members of our society. But I believe that it deserves civilized debate and consideration."

Hidalgo said the bill's supporters are ready for an uphill battle.

"We're well aware that this is a controversial issue, there's no doubt about it," Hidalgo said. "But the economy of our state depends heavily on undocumented immigrant labor, and the fact is that these workers need to get to their jobs."

E-mail: llorente@northjersey.com