Advocates push bill to allow driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants

Advocacy groups are pushing for a bill that would allow undocumented immigrants to get a driver's license.

News 12 Staff

Feb 7, 2019, 7:57 PM

Updated 1,903 days ago

Share:

Advocacy groups are pushing for a bill that would allow undocumented immigrants to get a driver's license.
Twelve states currently have such laws on the books, but New York isn't one of them.
Proposed legislation is now weaving its way through Albany. If it passes, people without documentation would be allowed to get a standard driver's license, which is the lowest form available.
Reyna Andreu, of Westbury, relies on buses and cabs to get around but says it's expensive, inconvenient and that she desperately wants a driver's license. She came to the U.S. from Mexico at age 11 and is still waiting for her visa.
The proposal has been around for several years but was always blocked by Republican lawmakers. That could change now that Democrats have the majority in Albany.
"It's even safe for the same people that are against it," says Javier Guzman, of Make the Road NY.
News 12 reached out to state Senate Minority Leader John Flanagan and Sen. Ken LaValle, both Republicans, for comment. Spokesmen for each said they were opposed to giving driver's licenses to anyone in the U.S. illegally.


More from News 12