Michigan Immigrant Rights Center April 25, 2014 Hello advocates: Many of you have contacted us recently about the history of immigrant access to drivers licenses and state identification cards in the State of Michigan. We have developed a new backgrounder which contains that information, as well as the answers to frequently answered questions about licenses and state ID. Please find our new document linked here: English, Spanish As youll read, Michigan law requires that applicants for licenses and state IDs prove legal presence. Several states have recently changed legal presence policies, and the practical arguments for doing so are discussed in a new report from the Immigration Policy Center, Living in a Car Culture Without a License: The Ripple Effects of Withholding Drivers Licenses from Unauthorized Immigrants by Sarah E. Hendricks, Ph.D. (IPC Perspectives, April 2014). Our colleagues at Farmworker Legal Services of Michigan have published information on what the law says about driving with a foreign license. You can find it linked here: English, Spanish. A word of warning, though: scammers have tried to sell fake foreign licenses in Michigan to unsuspecting immigrants. Even having such a document in your possession can be a crime. Most countries dont allow people living abroad to obtain new licenses -- be sure to check with your consulate! MIRC recommends that, if possible, every member of every family with a noncitizen member have a valid passport from their country of citizenship. Mexican citizens can watch for the Detroit Mexican Consulates mobile consulate opportunities this summer. Some folks around the country (and in Washtenaw County!) have been working on access to local forms of photo identification to assist people who may not have access to other forms of photo identification in establishing their identity and local residency in various situations. Feel free to contact MIRC for more information about licenses and share your local advocacy work with us. Thanks for your attention and best wishes with your advocacy!
Posted on: Tue, 29 Apr 2014 18:03:00 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015