CHICAGO - Before Thanksgiving, the Catholic Conference of Illinois' lobbyist Bob Gilligan spoke in favor of Temporary Vehicle Drivers Licenses for approximately 250,000 Illinois residents that are not abiding by federal and state immigration laws. Gilligan represented Cardinal Francis George and Illinois bishops.
"Our cause should promote the common good. They should have at their very core a respect for human life and the dignity of the human person," Gilligan said. "When our undocumented immigrant brothers and sisters are denied the ability to drive legally, their access to health care, to an education, to practicing their faith and to work is greatly hindered, and thus, their quality of life is simply compromised."
Current legislative wording allows TVDLs to be used only for driving, and not for identification. The legislation is expected to be voted upon before new lawmakers are sworn in next month.
