It’s confirmed. Illegal immigrants residing in the state of Massachusetts will finally be able to get a driver’s license starting in July of next year.
Lawmakers overrode a veto imposed by the Republican governor a few weeks ago.
In a vote on Thursday, 32 Senators voted in favor and 8 against. The opponents were all Republicans. This decision was adopted less than 24 hours after the deputies had swept the veto of Charlie Baker with 119 votes for and 36 against.
Thanks to the “Work and Family Mobility Act”, illegal immigrants in Massachusetts will have the chance to get their driver’s license as long as they can prove that they really live in Massachusetts.
Speaker Ron Mariano said the law will “increase safety on our roads by ensuring that everyone has access to a driver’s license, regardless of immigration status. But Republican Governor Charlie Baker doesn’t see it that way. To him, giving illegal immigrants the ability to have a driver’s license “negates a critical safeguard in the driver’s licensing process,” adding that the “Registry of Motor Vehicles does not have the expertise or ability to verify many types of documents from other countries.”
Not enough arguments to convince the regional president. “We are a nation of immigrants. We all benefit from increased public safety,” she said. “And everyone deserves to feel safe and be able to go to work, pick up their children, and be part of their community without fear. The @ma_senate looks forward to moving past this misguided decision,” Karen Spilka said in May in a post on her twetter account.
To obtain the driver’s license, applicants must provide a passport or identification document issued by the consulate of their respective country of origin. One of these five other documents could also be submitted. These include “a driver’s license issued by another U.S. state or territory, a birth certificate, a foreign identification card, a foreign driver’s license, or a marriage certificate or divorce decree issued by a U.S. state or territory,” Fox News said on its website.
The decision by the Massachusetts legislature to override the governor’s veto was welcomed by immigrant rights organizations, who believe that this law will allow thousands of immigrants to obtain this valuable document, which will open the door to other opportunities, including the possibility of getting a job and opening a bank account. But those interested will have to wait until July 2023. Until now, an immigrant without any form of legal documentation is not allowed to operate a vehicle in the state of Massachusetts.
It is important to remember, however, that immigrants with Temporary Protected Status, pending asylum decisions, or with federal documentation may have their driver’s license expire on the same date as their central government documentation.
Beginning in July of next year, Massachusetts will join the other 16 states and the District of Columbia that have allowed undocumented immigrants to have driver’s licenses. The 16 states are: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, New Jersey, Oregon, Utah, Vermont, and Virginia.