February 19, 2019. This article discusses the need and support for New Jersey to pass a bill that would allow undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses. According to the article 76,204 arrests were made by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that were the result of traffic offenses. The author highlights the fear that undocumented immigrants have to drive due to the threat of deportation, but they need to for daily activities such as going to school, buying groceries and medical emergencies. The article also highlights the economic benefits that FPI estimated, which include $26M in one-time revenue and $57M in annual revenue if New York were to pass a bill allowing undocumented immigrants access to driver’s licenses.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is known to target undocumented immigrants who have broken the law – even if the offenses are minor traffic violations and put them in deportation proceedings. In some reported cases police departments have worked with ICE to turn in offenders.
There are 12 today — each with its own set of restrictions. A grouping of them is across the American Southwest; a scattering along the Atlantic coast.
New York state, if legislation were passed there, would collect an estimated $57 million annually in combined vehicle registration fee and tax revenue, according to a report from the Fiscal Policy Institute.
“They all know how to drive, and they all have the desire to do the right thing,” Brown said.
Here is the link to Voice of America.