Tim Vandenack covers immigration, multicultural issues and Northern Utah for KSL. He worked several years for the Standard-Examiner in Ogden and has lived and reported in Mexico, Chile and along the U.S.-Mexico border.
SALT LAKE CITY — The proposal to end Utah 's driver privilege card program, geared to a subset of immigrants that includes those in the country illegally, has been formulated and numbered.Now HB187, sponsored by Utah Rep.
Trevor Lee, R-Layton, sits in the Utah House Rules Committee, which serves as a gatekeeper of sorts for legislation, awaiting formal attention from Utah lawmakers."Great response, we have an illegal immigration crisis and it needs to be resolved," said Lee, alluding to the reaction the measure has gotten from his colleagues.Lee put forward HB187 as the national debate surrounding illegal immigration intensifies. The driver privilege card program serves as a magnet to immigrants in the country illegally, he claims, and ending it would help temper the incentive for them to come to Utah."This is a priority for the White House," he said, alluding to President Donald Trump's focus on combating illegal immigration. "We are the only red state in America that allows illegal immigrants driving privilege cards."On the flip side, Utah Sen. Luz Escamilla, D-Salt Lake City, defended the driving privilege card program as a matter of public safety and making sure that only properly vetted drivers are on Utah roads. Though immigrants in the country illegally are among those who can tap into the program, she stressed that it also serves others here legally under certain work and student visas."We're very concerned. But at the same time, I think my colleagues in the Utah State Legislature understand the importance of having ... people legally tested, trained and insured on the roads to keep every Utahn safe," she said.Utah lawmakers approved legislation in 2005 creating the state's driver privilege program as a means of vetting would-be drivers in the state, regardless of migratory status. Those with driving privilege cards — who still have to provide proof of identity, pass a driving test and meet other requirements — may register their cars and get car insurance.According to a 2024 report on the program by a state legislative policy analyst, driving privilege cards are geared to those "who cannot prove lawful presence in the United States" and are otherwise unable to get a normal Utah driver's license. The pool of applicants can include immigrants in the country illegally as well as those legally paroled in the country for humanitarian or other reasons.A range of proposed provisionsLee has put forward thre
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