Chicago City Wire

Governor J.B. Pritzker is reportedly considering legislation that would allow illegal immigrants with temporary driver’s licenses to work as certified driving instructors in Illinois, a proposal critics say could violate federal law.

The measure, House Bill 3125, passed by the Democratic-controlled General Assembly, would permit individuals with Temporary Visitor Driver’s Licenses (TVDLs) for at least two years to be eligible to teach behind-the-wheel driving courses.

Pritzker has until Aug. 19 to sign or veto the bill.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker | Provided

Don Rosenberg, president of Advocates for Victims of Illegal Alien Crime (AVIAC), criticized the bill and questioned its legality.

“It’s even beyond nonsense,” Rosenberg told Chicago City Wire. “It’s actually illegal to hire illegals.”

Illinois began issuing TVDLs in 2014 to residents who are ineligible for a standard driver’s license, including illegal immigrants. Supporters said the change would improve road safety by ensuring more drivers were trained, tested, and insured.

Rosenberg, whose 25-year-old son Drew was killed in 2010 by a driver in the country illegally, argued that the policy has had the opposite effect.

“In that regard it has been an unmitigated disaster," he said. "Every state and DC have seen double-digit increases in traffic fatalities in the first two years (when most of the licenses are issued to the massive amount of illegal aliens). Even worse is the numbers don’t start to decrease as the years go by.”

Rosenberg noted that in 2014, the year that Illinois began issuing TVDLs, the state had 924 traffic fatalities. By 2016 fatalities increased to 1078.

“So, in the first two full years (there were) 228 or about an 18% increase in traffic deaths. Hardly safer,” he said.

The number of fatalities has continued to climb:

• 2017 – 1,090

• 2018 – 1,035

• 2019 – 1,009

• 2020 – 1,193

• 2021 – 1,334

• 2022 – 1,268

• 2023 – 1,255

“To be fair, no state reports traffic fatalities by immigration status so you can’t assume that all these deaths involved illegal aliens,” Rosenberg said. “But, this pattern of massive increases in the first two to three years that illegal aliens can get a license is consistent in every state and DC.”

He also cited a study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety that found unlicensed drivers are five times more likely to be involved in fatal collisions than licensed drivers.

Meanwhile, Illinois is projected to spend $2.5 billion on services for undocumented immigrants in fiscal year 2025, according to a June report by the Illinois Policy Institute. The majority of that amount is expected to go toward health care coverage.

The report stated that the state has allocated $478 million since 2023 for migrant services through the Welcoming with Dignity initiative, which includes support for housing, food, resettlement services, and rental assistance. 

Additionally, it cited findings from the Office of the Auditor General showing more than $1.6 billion was spent on two health care programs serving migrants.