Secretary of State’s Office Denies Access To Driver’s License Database For Census

The Illinois Secretary of State’s Office has denied access to the federal census bureau to the state’s driver’s license database. The Office said they received a request from the U.S. Census Bureau, asking for the state’s driver’s license database, which includes people’s citizenship status. Undocumented immigrants are able to get a “temporary visitors” driver’s licenses in Illinois. The department has vowed to stay in line with the U.S. Supreme Court decision to keep a person’s citizenship status off the census and to help maintain people’s privacy. Opponents say that citizenship should be tracked to determine where tax dollars are going and for national security purposes. Others say a citizenship question will deter immigrants from participating in the census, which impacts a community’s funding and representation in Congress.