Bill would give Minnesotans without proof of legal immigration drivers licenses
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- A bill that's making its way through the Minnesota Capitol would make it possible for anyone an opportunity to get a driver's license, even if they don't have proof of legal immigration in the U.S.
Advocates say the current law is a safety issue, while others argue this could open the door to voter fraud.
There are 18 states that currently allow this, along with the District of Columbia. Minnesota would become the 19th state if it passes.
This has been proposed for years at the Capitol in St. Paul and gone nowhere. This is the year though that there is a very good chance this could get passed by the legislature.
There are estimates that at least 90,000 undocumented residents live here. And there is to some degree bipartisan acknowledgement that with Minnesota's unemployment rate the lowest in the nation, the undocumented are needed to fill jobs in everything from agriculture to construction.
Sen. Zaynab Muhamed is the author of the bill.
"I am an immigrant, so I understand the struggle immigrant communities are facing right now," Muhamed said. "I want to make sure that everybody who lives in our state, regardless of their status, is protected."
But some Republicans fear the licenses could lead to illegal voting.
"These will be given to people who are here illegally. They are non-citizens who are here illegally, and they are getting the identical drivers license that a legal citizen is getting, I have always been told a drivers license is a privilege, not a right," Sen. John Jasinski said.
Jasinski says he might be willing to support the proposal if the drivers licenses said on them something like "just for driving," or anything that would make them look different from the driver licenses the rest of Minnesotans have.
Law enforcement agencies across the state appear are overwhelmingly in favor of licenses for the undocumented. Their reasoning is that police think anyone who is going to be on the road should have the same training the rest of us have in order to get a drivers license.
