California OKs Bill Allowing Immigrants to Secure Drivers’ License

On the last day of September, California Gov. Jerry Brown had brought some good news for young immigrants in the state.

During his last day to act on nearly a hundred bills sent by the State Legislature, Gov. Brown signed the bill that would allow undocumented immigrants to secure driver’s license that will automatically grant them with driving privileges within the state.  

It was seen as good news by thousand of undocumented workers in the Golden State and by those who wish to land a job in the state. The bill had also cleared the ambiguity regarding the rules for issuing driver’s license to immigrants.

Incidentally, the approval of the said bill is in line with Obama’s recently announced program called ‘Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals’ which would grant temporary work permits and a temporary relief from possible deportation to undocumented young immigrants under certain conditions.

Subsequently, the bill titled AB2189 authored by Assemblyman Gil Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, would likewise allow those young immigrants who qualify for the Obama program to secure a driver’s license. Therefore, immigrants can now have a chance to drive and get a driver’s license, and car accident insurance in the State of California.

Aside from California, other states like Texas, Virginia, and Oregon have also settled the same issue a while ago. Meanwhile, Arizona and Nebraska have pledged not to issue driver’s license to anyone who benefits from the federal program.

Meanwhile, several California voters and county sheriffs opposed the bill for some reasons, while some Latino voters backed the same. It was also endorsed by few celebrity advocates like Martin Sheen and high community figures like Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mohaney. 

Previously, upon the introduction of the bill, issues including racial discrimination and inequality were raised by undocumented immigrants and advocates. In fact, a car accident attorney in Los Angeles had witnessed various disputes over the matter in the past few months. Therefore, he felt glad upon hearing the approval of the said bill since it will definitely resolve all the previous concerns of a lot of motorists.