The driving license inequity
Acouple of weeks ago, a friend of mine and this writer went to spend some time with another friend to celebrate the latter’s birthday. During the conversation, my friend opened a discussion regarding an issue that I forgot for quite some time.
My friend’s children, who by the way are California native U.S. citizens, have been forbidden from obtaining a driver’s license. Even though they tried at the Department of Motor Vehicles, the agency rejected the applications for a single issue — none are California residents.
Before recent legislative changes, many Mexicali residents who are either permanent residents or American citizens were able to receive their driving permits by just providing the DMV an address in California; however, that changed in the Golden State law.
Since the law changes were enacted, all those who live in California must provide a thumb print, a Social Security number, verification of the date of birth and legal presence, and present acceptable residency documents for first-time applicants. Renewals are exempt from these provisions.
And in order to prove residency, applicants must give two different forms of documents, including when applying for an identification card.
“When using a mailing address that is a post office (PO) box or general delivery, you must provide an actual place of residence on your application,” says the DMV on its website. “The address on the residency documents must match the residence address on your application.”
Among the documents accepted by the state agency are rental or lease agreements, deeds or titles of residential real property, utility bills, mortgage bills, school documents, employment documents, insurance documents, IRS or California Franchise Tax Board tax returns, California certificates of vehicles, California identification cards, property tax bills, records of financial institutions and court documents that list the applicant as a California resident. Both documents filed with the DMV must have coinciding addresses and match the address provided in the application.
These new requirements derived from the REAL ID Act of 2005, set by the Department of Homeland Security, to accept such identifications at the federal level. By the way, California will offer new, REAL ID Act-compliant licenses beginning Jan. 22, about one and a half years before the federal deadline.
Although this might sound legally all right, a different story is written for undocumented immigrants.
The same DMV offers an AB 60 program that issues an original driver’s license for those who cannot submit satisfactory proof of legal presence in the United States while complying with legal provisions and providing proof of identity and California residency. These applicants can make their license requests through the DMV’s Android or iPhone applications.
The agency accepts as proof of identity in the AB 60 program Mexican voting cards, passports or consular cards. Citizens from other countries can provide passports and other types of identification. The list also includes school picture identification cards, U.S. government documents, court documents, tax returns, marriage licenses, divorce decrees, birth certificates and adoption records, including those from other countries.
“If you are applying for a driver’s license in compliance with AB 60, you are only required to provide one residency document,” the DMV clarifies on its website.
Besides all those documents accepted for U.S. citizens and permanent residents, the DMV also accepts letters from shelters, employers or faith-based organizations.
I guess many don’t mind giving driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants living in California. It has been a right demanded for several years.
But prohibiting that same right to Americans living abroad while working or studying in California and making it harder to obtain such documents is simply unfair to say the least. Arturo Bojorquez is Adelante Valle Editor.