One of the major obstacles for individuals who are present in the United States without immigration benefits is the inability to drive lawfully. Having a driver’s license, for most Americans is a freedom enjoyed by the majority adults that is hardly contemplated. In order to drive to work, transport children to and from school and get to the grocery, in most areas of the United States, people need to drive.
At the present time, there are 11 states, in addition to Puerto Rico and the District of Colombia, who do not discriminate or require immigration status in the United States in order to obtain a state driver’s license. These states are; Washington State, Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Illinois, Maryland, Rhode Island and Vermont. According to a recent poll conducted in the State of New Jersey, there are approximately 525,000 undocumented individuals living there. The study also showed that nearly 464,000 of these individuals would be at a great advantage if they were permitted to drive lawfully in the state. The survey estimated that between 153,000 and 278,000 of the undocumented individuals would take advantage of this proposed policy and apply for their driver’s license within the first three years.
That number is significant as it would bring additional and much needed revenue to the state of New Jersey. The change would also benefit the American population by increasing the number of insured and lawfully licensed drivers on the road. A major issue from the standpoint of an American citizen, residing there, would be the added safety factor on the road, as the requirements for licensing mandate written as well as roadside testing. The benefit for the undocumented individuals is even greater. The flexibility of having the option to drive to their place of employment, rather than taking public transportation is enormous. The quality of live for these individuals could increase tremendously as they could seek employment in areas previously unavailable to them. Their quality of life for these adults and their children could improve with additional options in employment opportunities.
The ACLU of New Jersey fully supports the proposed change to allow undocumented individuals to obtain their driver’s license. The executive director, Udi Offer added that undocumented immigrants can suffer greatly by making decisions daily that may fail to meet their basic needs such as buying food or taking their child to the doctor. Presently, doing so, they run the risk of arrest and possible deportation. He also added that the state of New Jersey relies on these workers for the continued “functioning and vitality of New Jersey.”
Annette Quijano, Assemblywoman for the State of New Jersey recently introduced a bill for the 2014-2015 legislative session that would offer driving privilege cards to undocumented New Jersey residents. She contends that this would be a great step forward for the state. She also relied on the argument that the added benefit to the public would be the safety issues on the road, having regulated drivers, in addition to the added insurance, these drivers would be obligated to maintain. Proposed policies such as these continue to serve the undocumented community, while the nation awaits a Comprehensive Immigration Policy that would serve the entire nation.
