Oregon DMV will give some undocumented immigrants their driver's licenses скачать в хорошем качестве

Oregon DMV will give some undocumented immigrants their driver's licenses

By Jessica De Nova/KTVL.comMEDFORD, Ore.-The Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles said it will issue driver's licenses to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) beneficiaries as of Jan. 16.Those eligible for DACA are immigrants brought to the U.S. as children who meet several age, educational and criminal records requirements, all of which are listed on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) website. The site also explains deferred action is a discretionary determination to defer removal action of an individual as an act of prosecutorial discretion.DACA grants those eligible, a two-year, renewable work authorization. The DMV said it allowed five or six DACA beneficiaries to obtain their driver's licenses in Oct. and Nov. of last year, because all the specifics of the new policy were still being worked on. Oregon DMV spokesman, David House, said there was no way for DMV employees to check whether the people presenting them with Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) or the I-766, had obtained them through DACA, or through a more common route, like the legalization of their immigration status.The DMV quickly put the breaks on the new policy. It wanted to figure out whether or not this group of immigrants was eligible, under Oregon law, to get a driver's license.He said about 200 driver's license applications were put on hold while it decided whether or not to grant this group licenses.They left it up to the states to determine whether this would fit each state's requirements for driver's licenses or I.D. cards, said House.A local attorney, Kevin Stout with Hecht and Norman Immigration Law, said Oregon law already allowed those who qualify for DACA to get driver's licenses. He said the issue was the way in which the law was being interpreted. Stout said SB 1080 asks for documentation showing legal presence in the U.S. for those applying for a driver's license. He added that legal presence can be established if one is in accordance with federal law.Recent guidance with consultation and immigration attorneys, some of our colleagues who work closely with the governor's office, have clarified that being in accordance with federal immigration laws includes deferred action recipients, said Stout. After months of looking over the issue, Oregon DMV announced today, those who qualify for DACA, also qualify for a driver's license, so long as they meet all the other test and fee requirements that everyone else must meet.The DMV says only about one percent of Oregon's undocumented population would be eligible for a driver's license through DACA.A local DACA applicant, Ricardo Lujan, said the DMV's announcement is only the start of changes he hopes to see.It's a huge step and it was beneficiary for us, but I'm still not satisfied. I want to keep fighting for reform, immigration reform, which is gonna ultimately allow us to have a path toward citizenship and that's gonna open doors completely for all of us. Like for me specifically, ever since I was nine, ever since I came to the United States, I wanted to become a police officer and since I'm not a U.S. citizen, it's hard for me to be able to become that, said Lujan.Lujan urges the public to maintain informed on the issue by visiting the USCIS website and liking the Oregon DreamActivist facebook page.In a statement Wednesday, Governor Kitzhaber said he was pleased with the DMV's decision and called it the right decision that will provide certainty for working families and employers.