D.C Council begins debating immigrant driver bill

Supporters of a bill that would allow immigrants to get a driver’s license rallied outside of City Hall while a District Council hearing took place on Thursday.

The District Council has begun reviewing two immigrant licensing proposals. One proposal would allow immigrants to obtain the same license that legal immigrants have. The second proposal allows immigrants to obtain a license, but the license would be marked with a symbol that identifies their immigrant status.

“It’s making sure that everybody who drives in Washington, D.C., is insured, has a license,” says Jaime Contreras, a worker for SEIU labor union.

However, Contreras also worries that the identification of undocumented immigrants will lead to racial profiling.

Brad Botwin of Help Save Maryland believes undocumented immigrants should not be driving at all. “We should not be giving driver’s licenses to people who have no legal status here in the country,” he says. “If they are on the roads and they are caught without a license, they should be deported.”