Bill would help illegal immigrants

According to Ilma Paixao, president of the Brazilian American Association, one of the best ways state lawmakers could help illegal immigrants would be to allow them to get driver's licenses -- and some driver's education.

Many illegal immigrants start driving soon after they get to the United States but before they learn to read English, she said, and the rules of the road in the country they came from may be different. Since they are barred from legally getting licenses, there's no incentive to get any training. And that can be a formula for disaster.

''When you get behind the wheel, you have a weapon in your hand," she said. ''We're talking about safety, we're talking about life, and, for me, it's a priority."

A proposal to allow some illegal immigrants to have a special type of driver's license is one of many initiatives that area immigrant activists are pushing in the next legislative session, which begins in January.

Paixao's Framingham-based organization is working with the Massachusetts Immigration & Refugee Advocacy Coalition in Boston on a number of issues at the State House. The coalition launched a campaign in recent weeks to win support from lawmakers on a host of bills.

''In spite of mean-spirited campaign literature that attacked immigrant youth, Massachusetts voters issued a broad mandate in support of immigrants and refugees," the coalition recently said in a statement. ''Elected officials have an opportunity to lead the Commonwealth forward and restore access to the programs . . . that bring the American Dream closer to our newest neighbors."

Framingham is an epicenter for immigration issues in the western suburbs because it has a large number of residents who come from Brazil, other Latin American countries, Russia, and elsewhere. So it's no surprise that area lawmakers are called to work on immigration issues.

Several lawmakers were criticized during the fall campaign for supporting a proposal that would allow illegal immigrants to pay resident tuition rates at state colleges and universities. State Representative Debby Blumer, a Framingham Democrat who won reelection, was one of them.

She said she would support a wide range of bills to help immigrants in the coming session -- and press again for the in-state tuition rate proposal. Blumer is also cosponsoring a measure to ensure that elderly and disabled legal immigrants who qualify under income guidelines have access to healthcare. All legal immigrants used to receive healthcare under the Mass Health program, but, during tight budget times, the Legislature scaled the program back to cover just the elderly and disabled. Then Republican Governor Mitt Romney effectively eliminated the program for immigrants, Blumer said.

The bottom line is that elderly and disabled legal immigrants aren't getting access to preventive care and may end up more frequently receiving free care from emergency rooms, ultimately costing the state more, she said.

The official bill-filing deadline is Dec. 1. But in reality, it is possible to file bills late, and many measures can be attached to the budget in the spring, said Blumer. She is still looking into cosponsoring job training bills and funding for English as a Second Language classes.

Jim Rizoli, a Framingham Town Meeting member who has been an outspoken opponent of immigrant-friendly proposals, said he was against in-state tuition for illegal immigrants.

''We don't think it's fair to the rest of the people in the country," he said. ''There's legal Americans that don't pay in-state tuition."

Rizoli also was opposed to providing healthcare for immigrants.

He said he generally agreed with the idea of trying to educate drivers from other countries, but didn't think illegal immigrants would step forward to apply for licenses because they typically want to stay ''under the radar" and avoid the attention of authorities.

Cesar Monzon, a member of both the Framingham School Committee and the League of United Latin American Citizens, said one of the biggest issues for the Latino community is always education. He said he supports the effort to allow illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition.

The bill that failed in the last session would have required that students be in the process of becoming legal citizens. State higher education officials estimated that, if it were passed, the state could take in an additional $2 million annually from students who otherwise wouldn't go to college at all because they couldn't afford the out-of-state rates.

Lisa Kocian can be reached at 508-820-4231 or lkocian@globe.com.