Driver’s License While Washington struggles to come to grips on how best to solve our outdated and failing immigration system, people of faith across the country are engaged in exciting state level efforts that continue to improve the lives of immigrants. One initiative we’ve seen increased support and progress in recent years is access to driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants. With over documented in in 2012 the U.S., a growing number of states are recognizing the importance of offering driver’s licenses to all residents regardless of immigration status. There are currently that allow undocumented immigrants in the U.S. to obtain a state-sanctioned driver’s license. Additional benefits to accessing a driver’s license include: Having ensured, trained and tested driver’s on the road Valid U.S. form of identification for unauthorized immigrants Improved safety on the which can help prevent accidents Better chance of saving when people are informed of the rules on the road Increase community trust to report crimes Increased revenue for states through insurance payments Avoid insurance losses Driver’s license restrictions have high costs for communities: Inefficient and ineffective measure that interferes with other law enforcement responsibilities Increase in discrimination and racial profiling Violations of civil rights (i.e. increased vigilantism) Causes serious legal and costly consequences for unlicensed drivers (i.e. car impounds, arrests) Does not solve national immigration policy needs, only federal government can do this For more information, check out: Racial Profiling Prevention
Driver’s License While Washington struggles to come to grips on how best to solve our outdated and failing immigration system, people of faith across the country are engaged in exciting state level efforts that continue to improve the lives of immigrants. One initiative we’ve seen increased support and progress in recent years is access to driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants. With over documented in in 2012 the U.S., a growing number of states are recognizing the importance of offering driver’s licenses to all residents regardless of immigration status. There are currently that allow undocumented immigrants in the U.S. to obtain a state-sanctioned driver’s license. Additional benefits to accessing a driver’s license include: Having ensured, trained and tested driver’s on the road Valid U.S. form of identification for unauthorized immigrants Improved safety on the which can help prevent accidents Better chance of saving when people are informed of the rules on the road Increase community trust to report crimes Increased revenue for states through insurance payments Avoid insurance losses Driver’s license restrictions have high costs for communities: Inefficient and ineffective measure that interferes with other law enforcement responsibilities Increase in discrimination and racial profiling Violations of civil rights (i.e. increased vigilantism) Causes serious legal and costly consequences for unlicensed drivers (i.e. car impounds, arrests) Does not solve national immigration policy needs, only federal government can do this For more information, check out: Racial Profiling Prevention
Toolkit-Local-and-State-Immigration.docx