Migrants soon able to drive in Virginia

15 other states, D.C. already allow it

RICHMOND, Va. — More than 300,000 migrants are eligible to seek “driver privilege cards” after Jan. 1, when a new law will make Virginia the first Southern state to give that population a way to legally drive.

The change could exacerbate backlogs at the Department of Motor Vehicles, which because of the coronavirus pandemic has sharply limited the number of people it lets through its doors.

It can take several months to get an appointment for in-person services, and new drivers need at least two appointments — one to take the written test for a learner’s permit, the other for the road test.

The DMV and state lawmakers have taken steps to try to ease the strain, partly by expanding the number of testing sites available to any Virginian seeking a license.

Advocates for migrants are urging prospective drivers to make good use of any delays by studying the state’s rules of the road.

“We wish that was not the case, that from Day 1 everyone would be served,” said Luis Aguilar, the Virginia director with the CASA migrant advocacy group. “But having this reality, it means moving to the next step, which means making sure people are prepared.”

Migrants seeking licenses have failed the required tests at high rates in some of the other states that offer them, Aguilar said.

So CASA has posted a Spanish- language version of the state’s driving manual online and plans to hold in-person courses for people without internet access.

The new law marks a sharp policy shift for the commonwealth, where Democrats gained control of both the House and Senate a year ago for the first time in decades.

Together with Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat, the legislature enacted sweeping changes that Republicans had long blocked, such as expanding gay rights and voting access, raising the minimum wage and tightening gun laws.

Extending driving privileges to migrants — something available in Washington, D.C., Maryland and 14 other states — was part of that push. The change was billed as a way to increase safety on Virginia roads and improve the lives of migrants and their families.

Republican opponents said the cards could help migrants falsely pass for American citizens.

Advocates initially lobbied for standard licenses, but to get buy- in from more- conservative Democrats, legislators settled instead for the driver privilege cards.

They look almost identical to ordinary licenses but are not federal Real ID cards and cannot be used as identification to board an airplane or enter a secure federal facility.

The cards are available to noncitizens who are Virginia residents, have reported income in Virginia or are claimed as a dependent on a tax return filed in the state.

The DMV now offers about 45,000 written-test appointments and about 5,000 road-skills-test appointments per month, department spokeswoman Jessica Cowardin said.

With migrants adding to the demand for appointments, she said, the department will open a second customer service center in Sterling on Jan. 4.

It is also partnering with Fairfax County to conduct testing at schools or other county buildings not in use because of the pandemic. Those locations were still being finalized, she said.