For those people who gave managed to sneak into California, and own a car, there is good news to be had from January 1 2012. From that date onward, police will no longer be able to impound your vehicle when stopped at a checkpoint. Of course, that happens only if your only crime at the moment is to be an undocumented driver.

There is a whole war going on for nearly 20 years between supporters of this measure and critics saying this only encourages illegal immigration. Until 1993, an undocumented driver was able to obtain a license in California. Following that year, and a number of economic troubles, SB 976 came to be which stipulated that a Social Security number and proof of authorized residence was required before applying for a driver’s license.
Supporters of SB 976 argued that people arriving in California through other channels than official ones should not be allowed to drive. Furthermore, they said that this measure contributed to increased safety on the road, as well as off of it.

Needless to say, the controversy surrounding the law was immediate. Senator Gill Cedillo devoted much work to overthrowing it, which he ultimately did with his SB 60. The result was the arrival of Gov Schwarzenegger. Not even a month passed after he had taken office, and the law was terminated.

So, again, illegal immigrants were left without the option to drive a car. If they were caught, however, behind the wheel authorities had the option to impound their vehicle for 30 days, thanks to a 1995 state law. City authorities applied this law as they saw fit. Some of them impounded the car at once, while others gave the driver a little time to contact someone with a license before towing the vehicle. When the car was towed, additional fees were quick to pile up resulting in amounts of money that no undocumented worker could pay.

Senator Gill Cedillo once again took up the sword and successfully passed a bill that takes effect from January 1. Police officers will no longer be able to impound a vehicle being driven by someone without a license. As already mentioned, that is true only if the driver doesn’t break any other laws, like being drunk. In the latter case, towing the vehicle is still an option.

Some continue to say the roads were safer with the old law in place. Or even before 1993 when everyone passed the tests needed to obtain a license. At the very least, authorities knew that drivers could handle a vehicle safely.

On the other hand, the number of illegal immigrants is high, but they represent an important part of the workforce. Supporters say this measure does not facilitate obtaining legal residence status. It only makes life a bit easier for illegal immigrants. Also, supporters claim that with their vehicles impounded, immigrants are forced to give up their jobs. This in turn affects social service organizations, and governmental agencies. Thus, a vicious circle is born.

If one is side is right about this, or not, remains to be seen. But usually the truth is somewhere in the middle.