Alejandro Chavez, an undocumented immigrant from Puebla, Mexico, worked in the apple orchards of Washington state for years, driving to and from work with a valid state motor vehicle license.

When he moved to New Jersey seven years ago to work on a Morristown horse farm, he lost his driving privileges. The state told him he couldn’t transfer his driver’s license because he wasn’t a legal U.S. resident.

It’s a growing issue in New Jersey and in other parts of the country: Should illegal immigrants, a sizable part of many state economies, be allowed to obtain state driver’s licenses?

“We may be undocumented, but we invest a lot into this country,” said Chavez, who now pays $10 a day to get a ride to work. “I can understand that many believe we don’t deserve any rights at all, but I think it’s a better system to have people registered, and their identities verified.”

An immigration task force appointed by Gov. Jon S. Corzine agrees. The panel recently recommended the state extend driving privileges to illegal immigrants. Corzine opposes the move, saying it’s up to the federal government to set national guidelines.

Washington, Illinois, Maryland and New Mexico are the only four states that do not require proof of lawful U.S. residency to get a driver’s license, according to The American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators. Agency spokesman Jason King says Utah also issues driving certificates to undocumented workers, but they are not accepted as official identification, and Hawaii will issue an illegal immigrant a state ID, but not a driver’s license.

Supporters say granting driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants makes the roads safer, because applicants are tested, and they say it cuts down on the number of uninsured drivers. They also argue it helps law enforcement efforts to have more people registered in state databases.

Opponents of the initiative say it makes it easier for illegal immigrants to live and work in the U.S.

“As a country we have to make up our mind what we want to do about immigration, but it’s always a bad idea for a state to work against federal immigration law,” said Steven Camarota, director of research at the Center for Immigration Studies, a group that favors stricter enforcement of immigration laws. “It’s really a bad idea to say: ‘Look, they’re here illegally, let’s do everything we can to reward that illegal behavior.”

New Jerseyans are largely opposed to the idea of granting driver’s licenses to undocumented residents, a measure that has been proposed in the state before.

A Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey Poll conducted in early February found that out of 803 adults surveyed, 62 percent oppose allowing illegal immigrants living in the state to get some type of limited driver’s license. Just 33 percent favor the idea.

New Jersey’s Blue Ribbon Advisory Panel on Immigrant Policy recommended last week that the state consult with the Department of Homeland Security to create a way for illegal immigrants to be permitted to drive.

But the Department of Homeland Security is the agency administering the Real ID Act, a measure introduced post-9/11 by the Bush Administration which outlines tougher standards for state-issued driver’s licenses. It requires Social Security numbers and proof of lawful residency status, among other things, for a driver’s license to be a federally accepted form of ID.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has promised to review the program, which has been criticized by many states as too expensive and an invasion of privacy. Several states have passed legislation refusing to comply with Real ID.

Nationally, the four states that have allowed illegal immigrants to obtain licenses have had mixed success. Maryland, which is considering legislation to undo the measure, has become a destination for illegal immigrants all over the U.S. seeking licenses — many from New Jersey.

Raymundo Rodriguez of Passaic has been on both sides of the equation. Rodriguez, 40, emigrated legally from Puebla, Mexico to New Jersey in the 1990s, and had a state driver’s license for more than a decade. He owned a car, ran a small business, and raised three children. But a few years ago, delays in his green card application complicated Rodriguez’ work permit. As a result, he was denied a license renewal when he couldn’t prove legal residency under New Jersey’s six point identification requirements for licenses.

After more than a decade as an insured, lawful driver with a clean record, Rodriguez said he was forced to sell his car, walk to work each day and pay taxis to take his wife to dialysis appointments three times a week.

“Life is very different now, very stressful and very difficult,” Rodriguez said. “It really changes your life to not be able to drive. One is used to a routine in your life, and for many immigrants in this country, a car is more than a luxury, it’s a necessity.”

(Source: WCBS880)