Delaware extends driving privileges to those in U.S. illegally

Karl Baker, The News Journal5:23 p.m. EST December 29, 2015

Sunday was the first day for a new program allowing those in the U.S. illegally to obtain driving privileges



(Photo: Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles)

STORY HIGHLIGHTS



  • Delaware is the 12th state to extend driving privileges to qualified people in the U.S. illegally
  • Lawmakers approved the program in June, but it kicked in on Sunday
  • Applicants have to get fingerprints taken and pass other rules, in addition to standard driving requirements



Thirty-five people as of Tuesday had started the process to get a new state-issued card giving driving privileges to those in the country illegally.

Applications became available on Sunday, six months after the program was signed into law and rules were established.


Applicants have to submit fingerprints to the State Bureau of Identification, demonstrate Delaware state taxes have been filed during the previous two years, and show a valid form of identification from their home country. They then have to pass the same rules as others getting a license, including passing a test and meeting insurance requirements.


DMV spokesman Mike Williams said it's expected that two more weeks will be needed for those initial applicants to pass requirements necessary before a driving test can be taken.


“We are not sure what the interest levels will be, just yet,” he said.


The cards were recommended in 2014 by a General Assembly task force formed to examine extending driving privileges to people living in the country without legal permission. The panel included lawmakers, business leaders and representatives from Gov. Jack Markell’s office, DMV, Delaware Police Chiefs' Council and Mid-Atlantic Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.


The task force in a 94-page report
said Delaware already has undocumented immigrants and that a special identification card would allow them to get insurance, improving road safety.


Delaware had about 20,000 undocumented people in 2012, according to a Pew Research Center study released last year. Claudia Peña Porretti, vice president of development at the Wilmington-based Latin American Community Center, which was involved in the task force last year, said the the current number could be closer to 40,000, although "it is hard to take an accurate census."

Claudia Peña Porretti (Photo: .)

She said the new law will make roads safer because many illegal immigrants are driving now without a license, and have not passed the state road tests.

"The issue is there are thousands of people that are here without legal status, and safety is first," Peña Porretti said.


The phrase "Driving privilege only, not valid for identification" is stamped in bold on the card, which is valid for four years.


The program was approved by lawmakers and signed into law by Markell on June 30.


Washington, D.C., and 11 states, including Maryland, offer illegal immigrants a driving card. New Jersey lawmakers are considering similar legislation.


Officials in June estimated the program will cost $317,652 to start up and $112,652 annually. Applicants will have pay $20 for the card form and $52.50 to get fingerprints taken.


The fingerprint requirement was a point of contention last year among task force members who wrote the new law.

Some, like Sen. Robert Marshall, D-Wilmington, argued that the requirement could deter people from signing up for the permit out of fear that a record of their fingerprint could lead to deportation. He included an amendment in the bill that requires the panel to reconvene in May and examine how many people have acquired the new driving card.


The program is “a step in the right direction, but if we fail to attract the audience for the card, then we will have to (revisit) it,” Marshall said. “It’s a work in progress.”


The state is prohibited from sharing fingerprints with federal authorities as long as those prints do not match ones found in an outstanding state crime database, according to the law.

http://www.delawareonline.com/story/...ally/78018474/