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REAL IDs for Immigrants; Fake Security For All
Color Lines, News Analysis, Tram Nguyen, Posted: Jun 20, 2007

Editor's Note: Access to documents is an issue that has a disproportionate effect on people of color and the poor. But can campaigns for ID and driving access build state-level resistance against anti-immigrant politics?

With the federal REAL ID Act set to begin implementation in 2008 and comprehensive immigration reform still unresolved, statewide policy battles are heating up again over providing immigrants access to driver’s licenses.

In the 2006 legislative session, at least 85 bills were introduced in 28 states addressing immigrant access to driver’s licenses. Meanwhile, the acceptance of the matricula consular, an identification card issued by the Mexican government, remains a live debate around the country, with policies proposed in 33 states and hundreds of municipalities that would require public officials to accept the consulate’s document as a valid ID for Mexican immigrants.

While organizers and advocates agree on the importance of providing tangible benefits for embattled immigrant communities, many are divided over the potential of IDs as a progressive policy tool.

“As we continue to work on this campaign, we keep in our minds that the driver’s license issue is crucial in holding the line in defending immigrants’ rights,â€