A Solution for Undocumented Immigrants Who Drive

WE'VE SAID before that it makes little sense to deprive illegal immigrants of drivers licenses: It only will encourage more people to drive without proper training or insurance, endangering everyone. At the same time, as other states have tightened their laws, Maryland reportedly has become a magnet for illegal immigrants seeking licenses. This is unacceptable, too, given the possibilities of fraud and abuse. The Maryland General Assembly is wrestling with this dilemma.

To comply with a federal law known as Real ID, which requires stricter identification for boarding a plane or entering a federal building, Maryland has to change its law. The state Senate passed a bill that would prevent all undocumented immigrants from obtaining licenses; the House passed a bill that would do the same but would allow immigrants who already have licenses to keep them and, when those licenses expire, replace them with a second-tier document that would allow driving but not qualify as federal ID. The House bill, which has Gov. Martin J. O'Malley's (D) support, is preferable.

Thousands of Maryland immigrants need their driver's licenses to commute to work, shuttle their children to school and buy groceries for their families. Some Marylanders may respond: Well, then, let them go back where they came from. But most of the more than 250,000 immigrants in the state illegally aren't likely to go away anytime soon. Take away their licenses and they're likely to continue driving, only illegally. Unlicensed drivers are responsible for a disproportionate number of accidents and fatalities. That's one reason that many law enforcement groups support the House bill.

Both bills would close the loophole that has turned Maryland into a magnet for identification fraud. As The Post's Lisa Rein and N.C. Aizenman reported, Maryland is the only state east of the Mississippi that doesn't check the immigration status of applicants for driver's licenses. A utility bill or bank statement is enough to prove residency. The legislation would tighten those requirements and curtail the ID cons.

Some conservative lawmakers assert that the House bill provides what amounts to amnesty for illegal immigrants. But the limited ID would not allow its holders to board planes or enjoy any benefits of citizenship or permanent residency; we think the state should make it available not just to current license holders.

This is another instance in which federal failure to fix immigration laws leaves state and local governments without good solutions. The House has come up with a less-bad alternative than the Senate's.

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