The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) in California is expected to issue some 100,000 driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants by the end of this week.
Following the implementation of Assembly Bill 60 (AB60), which requires that the motor regulatory body issue original driver's licenses to applicants who are unable to submit proof of legal presence, thousands of undocumented immigrants flocked to the DMV California office to apply for a license on Friday. 970 of those applicants were granted a license, according to DMV spokesperson Jessica Gonzales.
"They can legally drive on California roads and will receive their license this week or next week," Gonzales says.
On day three, more than 46,200 immigrants have filed their applications, with some of them pitching tents and camping outside the DMV office and others arriving as early as 3:00 a.m. The DMV expects some 1.5 million of them, or more than half of the 2.45 million undocumented immigrants residing in the state, to apply for driver's licenses by the next three years.
Until 1994, the state allowed anyone to receive a driver's licenses regardless of the status of his residency. The policy was reversed in the midst of the growing debate about what to do with illegal immigrants when a new law was taken into effect requiring that all applicants must show proof that they are legal citizens of the United States.
"The worst day is when you get in an accident and look up to see the other person drove off because they are undocumented and unlicensed," says Dan Dummoyer, head of government and industry affairs at Farmers Insurance. "If people are driving to their jobs, because they have to, it's good for them and other motorists that they be tested, licensed and insured."
California has the biggest number of undocumented immigrants in the country. Its latest move regarding immigrants' licenses follows in the footsteps of other states, such as Illinois, Maryland and Washington, which already grant driver's licenses to immigrants without a residency. At most, California's statutes impose steep fines and vehicle impoundments for drivers caught on the road without a license.
African, Asian and South American immigrants were among those who went to DMV California's four new branches erected solely for the purpose of accommodating the influx of applicants.
The department says 54 percent of all applicants who took the written test in English passed, while only 36 percent of all test-takers in Spanish passed. Applicants need to answer 30 out of 36 questions correctly, Gonzales says. Those who passed the written exam will need to return the next day to take a road test.
