California Driver S License Law For Illegal Immigrants
Immigration Immigrant status Immigrant IDs and driver's licenses Social security Undocumented immigrants Show 2 more Show 2 less Every undocumented or out of status immigrant who wishes to obtain a driver's license or identification card in Florida is required to show specific documentation to prove their immigration status and identity. California on Thursday joined the growing list of states that allow immigrants who are in the U.S. Illegally to obtain driver's licenses - a measure supported not only by Latino activists but.
Illegal Immigrant Driver's License California
California issued some 605,000 new driver’s licenses last year to immigrants residing in the country illegally, surpassing expectations for the program’s first year and granting more freedom for those who obtained the permit.Approximately 830,000 undocumented applicants have sought the licenses since Jan. 2, 2015, the first day they were available following passage of a law, Assembly Bill 60, that was supported by immigrants and their advocates and some traffic safety experts, and reviled by those opposed to illegal immigration.In California, home to an estimated 2.4 million undocumented immigrants, the nation’s largest such group, the Department of Motor Vehicles prepped for the onslaught. Among other things, the agency hired about 1,000 temporary employees, extended office hours and opened four Driver License Processing Centers, including one in Stanton.“This was a major undertaking and never before had the department implemented a program such as this one,” said Artemio Armenta, spokesman for the Department of Motor Vehicles.
In all, undocumented drivers accounted for slightly less than half of all the new non-commercial licenses – about 1.4 million – issued by the DMV in 2015.“We were surprised, but not unprepared,” Armenta said.Still, even with the DMV’s temporary expansions, the onslaught of new applicants inconvenienced many.During at least the first few months of last year, many applicants had to wait longer to get an appointment, and then wait longer to be served, even with an appointment, at a DMV office.“It certainly overloads the system,” said Ann Coil, Santa Ana Tea Party Patriots coordinator. Join the ConversationWe invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. Although we do not pre-screen comments, we reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions.If you see comments that you find offensive, please use the “Flag as Inappropriate” feature by hovering over the right side of the post, and pulling down on the arrow that appears. Or, contact our editors by emailing moderator@scng.com.
Var ndnq = ndnq ; ndnq.push(’embed’);On the day that California officials implemented a controversial law that allows undocumented residents to obtain driver’s licenses, DMV offices throughout the state were packed with immigrants looking to take advantage of the opportunity.Related Articles.Two years after the implementation of AB 60 on Jan. 1, 2015, an estimated 806,000 undocumented residents have received driver’s licenses, according to Department of Motor Vehicles statistics this month.
About 14,000 of these licenses were issued in November alone, the DMV said.The law has allowed undocumented residents to come out of the shadows and drive safely in their neighborhoods, according to Maricela Gutierrez, executive director of the immigration advocacy organization, SIREN.“Many of them have been able to drive their kids to school and to run errands, when many times they were taking buses that would take them up to three hours to get from point A to point B,” she said. “It opened up new opportunities.”.
One San Jose resident who applied for a license just a few days after AB 60 went into effect received his license in the mail shortly after.“It’s a completely different feeling because you no longer have to worry about seeing a police car,” said the 46-year-old, who asked to be identified only by his first name, Ramon. “You’re much more at peace when you drive. You can drive long distances with your family — to Disneyland or to the Monterey Bay Aquarium — with confidence.
You don’t live in fear.”But as President-elect Donald Trump, who vowed an illegal immigration crackdown as a candidate, prepares to take office, the law is coming under renewed scrutiny.Reading this on your iPhone or iPad? Check out our new and click the + at the top of the page to save to your Apple News favorites.Many of those who received driver’s licenses under the law now fear they’ll become deportation targets if federal immigration authorities can access their DMV information, despite assurances from state officials that it won’t happen. “We have definitely been hearing about a lot of fear from our community, especially with a new administration coming on board and the anti-immigrant rhetoric that’s been out there,” said Gutierrez. “Everything is theoretical as we speak, but we are definitely taking precautions.”The organization hosts workshops to inform immigrants of their rights and has advised AB 60 recipients to be cautious on the road.The law aimed to ease deportation fears that proved a barrier for undocumented residents to be tested and licensed to drive, a potential safety concern in a state that is home to an estimated 3 million illegal immigrants. Access to a license also makes it easier for those residents to find work and put their kids in public school.Opponents argued the law would weaken immigration enforcement and questioned the public safety benefit, noting it didn’t guarantee undocumented immigrants receiving licenses would buy auto insurance.Critics also point to another state “motor-voter” law, AB 1461, that starting in 2017 will automatically register most licensed California drivers to vote, arguing it could lead to election fraud if non-citizens barred from voting in federal elections become registered.
California Driver's License Law For Illegal Immigrants
State officials said there are safeguards in the system to prevent undocumented licensees from being registered to vote.The DMV said law enforcement agencies, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, can obtain driver’s license information — such as name, gender/description, address, date of birth and driver license number — through certain data-sharing systems. But the information doesn’t indicate their immigration status or whether they received licenses under AB60.Reading this on your phone? Stay up to date with our new, free mobile app. Tatiana Sanchez covers race, demographics and immigration for the Bay Area News Group.
She got her start in journalism in the California desert, where she covered the marginalized immigrant communities of the eastern Coachella Valley. Before heading north, Sanchez spent a year as immigration reporter at the San Diego Union-Tribune, where she covered the region's multicultural communities, social justice topics and life on the U.S.Mexico border. A Bay Area native, she received a master's in journalism from Columbia University.
In 2017, Sanchez was part of a team of East Bay Times reporters awarded the Pulitzer Prize for breaking news coverage of the Ghost Ship fire in Oakland. She's based in San Jose.