EDITORIAL: Alien Drivers

Apr. 18--Vocal opponents of granting driver's licenses to illegal immigrants often oversimplify a complex issue.

"What don't you understand about the word 'illegal'?" they rant.

To which we respond, "What don't you understand about this serious public safety issue?"

Somewhere among all the shouting there must be a solution to this nagging symptom of a much larger problem -- our nation's broken immigration system.

In the latest flare-up of this hot-button issue, an amendment to let illegal aliens get Massachusetts driver's licenses, tucked within a bill overhauling the state transportation agencies, was withdrawn at the last minute last week.

State Rep. Tom Sannicandro, D-Ashland, proposed the measure as a way to improve public safety and security. The measure, he said, would help identify undocumented residents and require that they, like other drivers, know and follow motor vehicle laws.

But state Rep. Jeffrey Perry, R-Sandwich, and others opposed the amendment.

"Those in favor of the proposals of issuing driver's licenses to illegal aliens have argued that it would improve national security and road safety," he said. "The security argument is outrageous on its face as many illegal aliens often use aliases and fraudulent documents in the first place."

That may be true, but what is also true is that thousands of illegal immigrants live and work in Massachusetts. The reality is that most of them are driving on our streets without licenses and without auto insurance. Public safety is not enhanced when some of these people run from the police because they have no license and can't afford to be stopped.

Public safety is enhanced by giving them some kind of driving status until the federal government steps up to the plate and either deports them or grants them legal status.

"I think it is important to understand that not all of these people are criminals nor should they be stereotyped as such," said one Cape police chief who did not want to be identified. "Some may suggest that if they are here illegally, that is a crime. That's like saying the person who is driving two miles over the posted speed limit is violating the law. Technically, yes they are violating the law, but in the big picture where should reasonableness, public safety interests and priorities come into focus?"

Some kind of driving document for illegal immigrants could facilitate a briefer and smoother encounter with police, the chief said.

After all, the Institute of Governmental Studies estimates that there are at least 2 million undocumented motorists in the U.S. Many of them fear being pulled over by police, which can sometimes lead to high-speed chases and police shootings.

A potential compromise is a state-issued driving card that proves the holder has passed the driving test and has car insurance. This would drive down the cost of car insurance, in addition to making the roads safer.

Such a "driving only" document would be issued to individuals who are unable to prove legal immigration status. The "driving only" license would be easily differentiated from a normal driver's license and would not be an acceptable form of identification for other purposes, such as boarding planes.

Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton, San Francisco's sheriff and many other law enforcement officers across the country argue that some control over who drives on our roads is better than none.

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