Protesters turn up heat - Immigrants rally at state Capitol to push lawmakers on reforms

Protesters turn up heat - Immigrants rally at state Capitol to push lawmakers on reforms
By Antonio Olivo and Monique Garcia
Copyright © 2007, Chicago Tribune
Published March 23, 2007
Arriving in busloads, about 2,000 demonstrators rallied inside the state Capitol on Thursday to pressure Illinois lawmakers into passing a series of immigration reforms, a topic likely to be debated in the next week.

Chanting and waving U.S. flags as Spanish radio hosts broadcast the action live, the crowd filled the Capitol rotunda as they pushed for measures such as new driver's certificates for undocumented immigrants and government-financed English classes at work or school.

"Today is validation," said Juan Salgado, president of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, which coordinated the rally.

As the debate over federal immigration reform again heats up, the crowd traveled to Springfield to say: "Hey, we're already here, it's our home and, to be able to make the most of this home, we want to become citizens, to learn English and to be able to drive safely and securely," Salgado said.

State lawmakers are poised to deal first with the thorny question of whether to allow undocumented immigrants to drive legally in Illinois.

Next week, the House is expected to vote on a bill that would create special driving certificates for state residents who don't have a U.S. Social Security number. A similar measure was narrowly defeated after heated debate last year.

The House bill and an identical Senate version making its way toward a floor vote have received backing from a wide array of business groups, law enforcement agencies and community organizations. Gov. Rod Blagojevich has promised he would sign the legislation into law, which would put Illinois among just a handful of states to have taken such action.

"As long as the legislature passes the bill, the governor will support it," said Blagojevich spokesman Gerardo Cardenas.

If approved, the driver's certificates would be distinct from regular driver's licenses and learner's permits, supporters say. For one, they would clearly state that they cannot be used as identification for any other official purpose. The certificates are a nod to new federal standards for driver's licenses under the Real ID anti-terrorism act approved by Congress in 2005, which several states have refused to implement.

In Illinois, the Roadway Safety and Mandatory Insurance Coverage Act has been promoted as an act of pragmatism amid one of Illinois' greatest immigration waves, a way to ensure that everyone driving in the state gets proper training and has access to automobile insurance.

Immigrant advocates who have been pushing hardest for the law say it would also help connect the state's estimated 400,000 undocumented immigrants to jobs, schools and health care.

"We have several cases where parents are scared to take their kids to the hospital or to schools precisely because they are out of status and cannot have a driver's license," said Alie Kabba, president of United African Organization Inc. in Chicago.

"Now, they are using somebody else's driver's license or are totally afraid and stay inside," Kabba said.

But, the measure, which would also cover legal residents without a Social Security number, also taps into mounting frustration over the nation's illegal immigrant population, a factor that has frustrated similar efforts around the country.

Last year in Illinois, another version of the driver's certificate bill drew heated debate in the House, before it was finally defeated by a handful of votes. Other states, such as California, have been debating similar legislation since the late 1990s.

In a climate where undocumented immigrants are able to qualify for home mortgages and major credit cards, states like Illinois are becoming more hospitable to that population, said Thomas Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, a Washington-based conservative government watchdog group.

"We're very concerned that the local government, in this case, is undermining federal immigration laws," he said.

Some immigrant advocates have different concerns, saying a driver's certificate's unique status could expose those who use one to discrimination and harassment.

In Tennessee, which in 2004 became the first state in the country to issue driver's certificates, holders were harassed by police and other government workers while forced to pay exorbitant "high risk" automobile insurance rates, according to a University of Tennessee Law School report. The unintended effect was that fewer drivers applied for the certificates, or drove without insurance, which recently led the state to suspend the program for further evaluation.

Brian Konen, co-owner of an insurance agency in Aurora, said he views his support for a driver's certificate law as a business decision.

"In Aurora, we have a large Hispanic population. If those folks are not driving with insurance, our clients are getting hit by them," said Konen, who is also president of the Professional Independent Insurance Agents of Illinois. "If we can get them to drive legally and with insurance, I'm sure some of those folks will also become our clients."

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The activists' legislative agenda

Members of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights are pushing for the passage of the Roadway Safety and Mandatory Insurance Coverage Act, which would create special driving certificates for state residents who don't have a U.S. Social Security number.

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