Seven years after the Safe and Responsible Drivers Act gave undocumented residents a license to drive, the state is ready to expand its impact, but the law still has detractors.
“Coming to this as scientists, we were immediately shocked by the absence of facts in this debate,” said Jens Hainmueller, a Stanford political science professor and co-director of the lab. “Nobody was drawing on any evidence; it was more characterized by ideology.”
Alejo said legislators had intended to protect people from immigration enforcement, so they wrote certain protective measures into the original AB 60 bill. They added language prohibiting state and local government agencies from using the special license to discriminate against license holders or for immigration enforcement.
In recent years there has been a large drop-off in the number of immigrants applying for AB 60 licenses. According to the Department of Motor Vehicles, 396,859 immigrants applied for the licenses in fiscal 2014-15, but only 68,426 applied in the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2022. “It does create more of a trust deficit with government agencies whenever there is a story about ICE having access to California databases or information in California databases,” she said.On the other hand, there’s an added benefit to the new licenses, Cheer said: immigrants now have a feeling of being included and acknowledged as residents of California.
Dulce Garcia, an immigrant rights advocate and attorney, at her office in San Diego on Dec. 28, 2022.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Former Israeli PM holds Ben-Gvir responsible for synagogue shootingFormer PM and opposition leader Yair Lapid points a finger at Israel's Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir for Friday's shooting attack that killed at least seven Israelis near a synagogue in occupied East Jerusalem
Read more »
Israel Responsible for Drone Attack on Iranian Defense Compound, Report SaysThe attack seemingly continues a shadow war between the two nations.
Read more »
Meet the Dallas billionaire responsible for the Kansas City Chiefs’ resurgence*** Dallas billionaire Clark Hunt and his family waited a half-century for their Kansas City Chiefs to get a crack at winning a second Super Bowl. They’re...
Read more »
McCarthy thinks he can find ‘responsible’ way to raise debt ceilingHouse Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said that he will meet with President Biden on Wednesday and is looking for a deal to raise the debt ceiling in exchange for unspecified cuts to the federal budget.
Read more »
Study finds 1 company responsible for up to 25% of Salt Lake's inversion pollutionThe findings raise questions about industry's role in Utah's air quality.
Read more »
South Philadelphia cleaners responsible for keeping team's jerseys game day readyLattanzio's Linn Cleaners in South Philadelphia has been keeping the Eagles looking fresh on game day for a decade or so, and this week is no different.
Read more »