A bill that would have allowed illegal immigrants to receive Virginia driver's licenses has died in the Senate Transportation Committee.
The bill was shot down on a 7-6 party-line vote, meaning that it will not reach the floor of the Virginia State Senate for full consideration. The bill was put forward by Democratic Sen. Scott Surovel, representing parts of Fairfax, Prince William, and Stafford counties. For the past three years, he has introduced the legislation as an attempt to grant immigrants in the country illegally the chance to legally drive in the Commonwealth. In short, it is an attempt to give documents to the undocumented. When the legislation was first unveiled, Senator Surovel and Delegate Kaye Kory held a press conference explaining the need for their legislation. Virginia state law requires that driver's licenses, permits, and special identification cards can "be issued only to United States citizens, legal permanent resident aliens, or holders of valid unexpired nonimmigrant visas; exceptions; renewal, duplication, or reissuance." Their proposed legislation would have created an exception for temporary driver's licenses to aliens who, though unable to prove their legal status, could produce documents proving continued residence in Virginia. Surovel and Kory explained that losing access to driving privileges was having a detrimental effect on illegal immigrant communities and forcing them into hardships. "Residents in these communities suffer from limited job prospects, complications getting to stores for food, and difficulties picking up their children from school, all due to insufficient transportation," the two explained in a jointly-written press release. Republican opponents to the legislation pounced on this reasoning, asking why the legislature should be focused on improving the quality of life for people living in the country illegally.
"We have a lot of folks in my district who are very concerned that there are people here in our county who are undocumented,” Senator Amanda Chase (R-Chesterfield) explained to a Richmond Times-Dispatch reporter after voting against the bill. “A lot of people in my district would say, ‘If you get a Virginia driver’s license, you need to be here legally.’”
Still, Sen. Chase admitted she was conflicted because she believed that allowing these immigrant communities to get driver's licenses would reduce the number of hit-and-runs on Virginia roadways. It is estimated that 400,000 illegal immigrants live in Virginia, and many are simply driving on the roads illegally. Without documentation, they are known to flee accidents. Both Republicans and Democrats agree that licensing these immigrants would likely have a positive effect on hit-and-run numbers across the state. However, they disagree over whether the risks are worth the benefits.
One concern that was raised during the committee hearing was that granting driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants could cause problems at polls. Despite the fact that the proposed "mock-up" ID card includes the phrase "Not valid for federal, voting, or public-benefit purposes," Senate Republicans feared that they could be used to facilitate illegal voting. Other states that have implemented similar illegal immigrant driver's license programs have run into problems when also passing legislation mandating that drivers automatically be registered to vote.
When the vote was concluded, immigration advocates in the committee room originally cheered when they heard the word "passed," not realizing that they had heard the committee approve the motion to "pass by indefinitely."
“Passed by indefinitely es cuando muere (is when it dies),” one activist was heard telling the others, instantly transforming their celebration into a protest.
Pending some significant change of heart, the legislation will not receive another Transportation Committee hearing. With Republican majorities in both the upper and lower chambers of the Virginia legislature, there is no other viable path for this bill to make it to Governor Ralph Northam's desk. With state law clearly limiting access to driver's licenses to citizens and legal residents only, there is not much Northam could accomplish through executive orders.
Immigration activists, however, aren't giving up. “We’re not going to stop,” one attendee explained in a Richmond Times-Dispatch interview. “We have to stay organized and connected.”
What do you think? Should illegal/undocumented immigrants in Virginia be allowed to get driver's licenses? Tell us your thoughts in the comment section below!