PEOC Statement on the passage of AB60: The Pomona Economic Opportunity Center celebrates the passage yesterday of AB 60 through the California legislature, the bill to grant driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants. We expect that Governor Brown will sign this bill into law making it possible for millions of immigrants to drive and conduct business in California with less fear. Although the license will be marked, we believe that this is a great first step towards bringing equality and dignity to immigrant families across the state and country. We worked hard in the last 24 hours, with many allies and colleagues, to demand that the bill be improved to provide the most protections and rights to our community. We are proud to say we were a part of assuring that those changes were made and that the bill now has the chance to become law. We want to thank all the people who have consistently fought for the right to a driver’s license, especially the undocumented immigrant drivers themselves, who have for too long suffered the abuses of being denied the right to mobility. Our very own leaders have lost their cars, paid the outrageous fines, and risked deportation only for driving to work or taking their children to school. We will need to be careful and watchful of how the law is implemented and how law enforcement will treat drivers with these licenses. Especially, we will monitor agencies like the Border Patrol and the county sheriffs in order to see if they are targeting these drivers to bring them into the jails and into immigration proceedings. However, our community of day laborers, youth, and parents has told us that for them, the benefits outweigh the risks. Having worked on a campaign to stop unjust checkpoints and vehicle impounds for the last five years, we know very well the socioeconomic consequences for families driving without a license. We will continue to fight to remove the mark and assure that the license can be used as identification so that all California residents are treated equally and fairly. We recognize that this advancement today will only lead us closer to the day when we all share the same license, the same rights, and the same opportunities to seek out a better life. We want to acknowledge and recognize those that would have preferred to wait for a better bill with stronger protections. We know that this isn’t the perfect bill and we share your concerns. We will work with you to fix the problems. The fight is long from over. But today, we should also recognize victory when we see it. For the first time in nearly 20 years, undocumented immigrants in California and their families will not have to fear having their car impounded, getting arrested, fined, or deported for driving without a license. It is a good day. Some facts from AB 60: On the front of the license, the mark will likely say “DP” for driving privilege instead of “DL” for driver’s license. On the back, the license will say “This card is not acceptable for official federal purposes: this license is issued only as a license to drive a motor vehicle.” There is no specific language preventing the license from being used as identification for non-federal purposes, and will be valid for citation in lieu of arrest. Immigrant rights groups will be a part of the process to decide which identify documents to accept in the license application process. There are privacy and confidentiality protections as well.
Posted on: Mon, 16 Sep 2013 23:00:24 +0000
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