Are Illegal Immigrant Drivers a Safety Hazard?
Rigoberto Padilla has spent the past 16 years in the United States trying to avoid trouble with the law. The undocumented Mexican immigrant, 22, grew up in Chicago, attends college and dreams of being an attorney. But on a cold January night last year, Padilla’s streak of good behavior came to an abrupt end after what he calls “one serious mistake”: drinking under age and then getting behind the wheel. “I was watching the American Football Conference championship game with some friends and I drank a couple beers,” he said. “I happened to have my friend driving my car. … He lived a few blocks away from me, so he got out and I just had to drive the next few blocks.” Padilla says when he failed to make a complete stop at an intersection, a police officer pulled him over and asked for his driver’s license and registration. He possessed neither since he is living in the United States illegally. “She asked if I had drank, I said, ‘Yes, a couple beers,’ and that triggered my arrest,” said the
