In New York, illegals may begin to issue a driver's license: what you need to know about innovation

Jorge was driving a friend’s car in December 2017, when he was stopped by a policeman on Long Island. Since the registration of the car has expired, and Jorge was driving without a driver's license, the police officer issued him a fine of 300 dollars.

Фото: Depositphotos

It's hard to believe, but such a coincidence is very pleased with 49-year-old Jorge, writes NBC.

After all, it could be much worse. Jorge, who asked to be called only by name, because of fears for his safety related to his immigration status, knows that often when police stop drivers without a driver's license, law enforcement officers contact the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE) .

Illegal immigrants, such as Jorge, are prohibited from obtaining a driver's license in most states, so the usual stopping of his car by the police or minor traffic offenses can turn into detention or deportation.

According to lawyers, it has become increasingly relevant during the administration of Donald Trump. According to Anu Joshi, director of immigration rights policy at the New York Immigration Coalition, even in an immigrant protective state such as New York, there has been an increase in the number of arrests and deportations of illegal immigrants for driving without a license.

An ICE spokesman said the agency "concentrates its enforcement resources on individuals who pose a threat to national security, public safety, and border security" and "does not conduct sweeps or raids that target all illegal aliens indiscriminately." But “those who violate immigration laws may be subject to immigration arrest, detention, and, if ordered by a court, removal from the United States.”

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As states struggle to increase federal immigration controls, politicians and lawyers suggest accepting guarantees for illegal immigrants, including giving immigrants in the country the right to get driving permits. California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Washington State, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Vermont, Columbia and Puerto Rico already have legal provisions that allow people to drive cars legally, regardless of their immigration status.

Lawmakers in a dozen other states have drafted bills that would allow illegal immigrants to apply for a driver's license. Among them, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Kansas, North Carolina, Minnesota, Texas and Florida.

In New York, as in many other states, the proposed law will be the restoration of the rights of illegal immigrants who have lost the ability to legally drive a car in the state due to measures that took effect after the September 11 2001 terrorist attacks. Immigrant rights groups have been protecting driver's licenses for many years, and former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer tried to reform driver licensing policies more than ten years ago.

In addition to protecting illegal immigrants from being arrested and deported, lawmakers and lawyers in New York say that their bill, the Law on Access to Driving Permits and Confidentiality, will improve public safety and contribute to state income.

“It is in the public interest, regardless of immigration status, to ensure that everyone who already drives on state roads is properly trained and licensed and can be held accountable for how they operate a motor vehicle,” said State Senator New York. York Julia Salazar, who co-sponsored the bill.

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Studies show that in states that have already implemented such policies, the number of alcohol-related crashes, as well as the number of fatal crashes, decreased after the law was changed. In California, the number of hit-and-runs has decreased, “presumably because the policy has reduced fears of deportation.” One widely cited but disputed statistic, based on data from the New Mexico Department of Transportation, showed that the rate of uninsured motorists in New Mexico dropped from 33% in 2002 to 9,1% in 2011, coinciding with a change in the law. .

Police Chief of Port Chester (New York) Richard Conway said that issuing driving licenses to illegal immigrants would set a minimum standard of competence for people who would drive a car regardless of their immigration status. It will also reduce the burden on his department. According to Conway, whenever an officer catches a driver without a license, this usually results in the detention of the vehicle. If illegal immigrants had a driver's license, employees could spend this time more efficiently.

“I think this will be a great help to law enforcement and will make the streets safer overall,” Conway said.

In financial terms, the New York bill, according to which, for three years, driver's licenses will receive about 265 000 people, will provide the government with a one-time increase in revenues of 26 million dollars, as well as 57 million per year, according to the FPI.

It would also mean buying about 97 000 cars, while car sales are falling. And since undocumented immigrants could legally get insurance, this would probably lead to a moderate reduction in insurance rates for all New Yorkers with an auto insurance policy.

Politicians in New York for the most part support this bill, and support for it is also expressed in the media.

But there is no support among the general public. March survey organized by Siena college, showed that 61% of New Yorkers are against the idea of ​​issuing driver licenses to illegal immigrants.

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The bill requires that all applicants for a driver's license provide proof of age and identity, but not immigration status. The document itself will contain a line stating that it “cannot be used for federal purposes,” for example, for boarding an aircraft or for entering a federal building.

Legal immigrants in the country are already eligible for driver's licenses in New York.

Lawyers and lawmakers said that some people disagree with this measure because they mistakenly believe that it will provide illegal immigrants with a path to citizenship and access to federal buildings for potential terrorism, which is an erroneous assumption.

The law permits New Yorkers to use documents issued to illegal immigrants as an identification document and will oblige them to sign a written certificate stating that they have not been assigned a social security number to obtain a standard license. Supporters say that for hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants, this means being able to go to work or lead a sick child to a doctor without fear of arrest.

62% of illegal immigrants live in the USA for at least ten years; this number is slightly lower in New York - 55%.

Jorge, for example, came to the US 17 years ago. He has two children; his 16-year-old daughter is a US citizen, and his son participates in the DACA program, which protects against the deportation of illegal immigrants brought into the country by children.

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