How to grab back control on illegal immigration

LAST WEEK, the Legislature again rejected a bill that would have allowed illegal immigrants to obtain driver's licenses. Immigrant advocates see this issue as a question of public safety and basic fairness, while their opponents regard it as rewarding illegal, even criminal, behavior. Still others seem willing to accommodate immigrants they believe are contributing to the state's economy but are nevertheless concerned about encouraging more illegal crossings. Is there any way to resolve this dilemma, or are Californians -- and Americans generally -- fated to continue running in circles around it?

To get at this question, we need to think about what is fueling the backlash against immigrants.

Underlying all the complaints about immigrants -- they take away jobs, they undermine the rule of law, they ruin our schools, they crowd our emergency rooms, they make too much noise -- is the generalized feeling that "things are out of control." One hears this about the distant Mexican border as well as neighborhoods next to downtown L.A.

This sentiment echoes the public's reaction to escalating crime rates in the 1980s and 1990s. Illegal immigrants are not criminals. But the current influx of immigrants -- legal and illegal -- is similarly straining the social fabric.

Key to the battle against crime during the 1980s and 1990s was the idea of "broken windows" -- how such minor infractions as prostitution, public urination and drug possession can lead to more serious offenses. Criminals pick up on this quickly -- and so do anxious citizens.

Recall the controversy in New York City, for example, over squeegeeing car windshields at stop lights and then extorting money from drivers. Immigrant day laborers loitering near Home Depots are today's squeegee men: not engaged in criminal activity per se, but representing to many passersby a sign of social disorder. The "broken windows" theory of policing reminds us that such unease, however misplaced or poorly articulated, nevertheless reflects rational concerns about strains in the social fabric.

If policymakers were to acknowledge the social disruptions resulting from mass migration, they might be able to resolve the controversy over driver's licenses. Illegal immigrants want licenses; Californians want less disorder in their communities. Why not issue licenses to illegals in exchange, say, for their commitment to making sure their children attend school regularly? Why not make such agreements the basis of a new social compact?