The ability to drive is a major obstacle for undocumented immigrants in this country. They must drive to work every day with the risk of arrest and deportation if they are pulled over by the police.

But Illinois political leaders, empowered by the Democratic supermajority created in the most recent election, have begun talking about allowing these individuals to attain a form of drivers license that, if passed, will do much to advance the fair treatment of undocumented workers in the United States. Importantly, these licenses would not enable police to determine the legality of a driver’s citizenship.

Speaking last Tuesday to announce their support of this measure, Illinois leaders including Gov. Pat Quinn and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel framed the issue as one of public safety, not a wholesale immigration reform. Quinn said: “This is a safety issue that impacts every driver in Illinois. Making sure all motorists, regardless of their background, are licensed and insured will drive economic growth and ease the financial burden on all Illinois motorists.”

The provision also has the support of Chicago Democrat and House Speaker Michael Madigan, who now holds the power of a Democratic supermajority and both branches of the state legislation. In bypassing Quinn’s veto power, Madigan has essentially become the de facto governor of Illinois.

Democrats are pushing the law, but it also has Republican support, especially from current comptroller Judy Baar Topinka and former Gov. Jim Edgar. Republicans especially would be wise to support this reform; as was proved in the recent election, the Republican Party can’t remain a party that overwhelmingly overlooks the interests of immigrants and minorities.

The proposed legislation would extend an existing provisional drivers license program, the Temporary Visitor Driver’s License, to undocumented workers. The state has been issuing these TVDL licenses since 2005 to individuals who are lawfully in the country without Social Security numbers.

According to the Illinois Highway Safety Coalition, the 250,000 uninsured and unlicensed immigrant drivers cost Illinois $64 million in damages claims each year.

Many are concerned that doling out licences encourages undocumented immigrants to remain in the country illegally, and that this measure weakens the incentive for these individuals to pursue citizenship. However, the new licenses would be visually different from normal ones, and could not be used as a form of identification.

This is a good start; the U.S. could take a hint from Illinois’ immigration reform efforts, but an extended drivers license program is not the immigration overhaul that this country so desperately needs. A situation in which many states have their own possibly conflicting standards of immigration policy would be a catastrophe. President Barack Obama has already stated he would stop the deportation of young immigrants who entered the country before the age of 16, but we do not believe that this issue will be solved by adding legislation piece by piece. A cohesive and comprehensive plan of reform is needed from the federal government, and after gaining broad support from Hispanic and minority voters last election, this is not the time for the president to hang back.