IL. Illegal aliens face long wait for driver’s license, 69,500 issued so far
Undocumented immigrants face long wait for driver’s license
TUE, 10/21/2014 - 11:26PM
MARK BROWN
@MARKBROWNCST | EMAIL
Every morning at 9 a.m., a ritual plays out in homes and offices across the Chicago area as thousands of people dial their phones or click online in hopes of being among the relatively few selected for that day’s chance at a valuable prize.
OPINION
But this is no radio contest, and failure to “win” can be more frustrating than losing out on a big cash jackpot.
These contestants are undocumented immigrants trying to get an appointment with the Illinois Secretary of State’s office to apply for a driver’s license.
One year after the state’s new Temporary Visitor Driver’s License law took effect, the program is still very much a work in progress with demand for the licenses outstripping the Secretary of State’s ability to process applicants.
About 69,500 licenses have been issued so far, but the still unmet demand is estimated to be four or five times greater than that. Thus, the daily maddening attempt to get an appointment, usually met by busy signals and messages to try again.
To beat the system, many Chicago area immigrants are trekking to drivers license facilities in Central Illinois and even as far away as Carbondale if they can find an open time slot. The long trip can be worth the peace of mind of knowing that a routine traffic stop by police won’t result in an arrest for failing to possess a valid driver’s license — an encounter that could result in being reported to federal immigration authorities.
Manuela Corral, 42, a 14-year resident of Melrose Park, said she has called the Secretary of State’s designated phone line every day for months, trying to get an appointment for her daughter, who works during the day. Corral, who works nights as a cleaning lady, is a legal U.S. resident, but her daughter is not.
“As a mother, I’m very worried for my daughter,” Corral told me through a translator. “The license is really important for her.”
She said she worries her daughter will be pulled over by police while driving back and forth to her job or to school, or while taking Corral’s son to doctor appointments.
http://politics.suntimes.com/article...0212014-1126pm