The Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) has changed its position on driver’s licenses for certain immigrants and is now giving driver’s licenses to immigrants who are applying for adjustment of status (a green card) or who have a cancellation of removal case pending with the immigration court. In September of 2015 DDS began denying licenses to immigrants in these …
Nine States Take a Stand Against REAL ID Drivers’ Licenses and National Origin Discrimination
In 2005, after extensive investigation into the attacks on September 11, 2001, Congress passed the REAL ID Act. This act had a provision regarding drivers’ licenses that would make it more difficult for an individual or apply for a state driver’s license without proof of their real identity. The goal of this law was to prevent immigrants who are terrorists, …
Georgia Wrongfully Denying Driver’s Licenses to Lawful U.S. Immigrants
In the 2015, the Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) began denying licenses to many non-U.S. citizens who are in the United States with employment authorization, also known as a work permit. DDS had previously granted driver’s licenses to these same immigrants for decades. The change came as DDS secretly changed their interpretation of existing law and decided that some …
Allowed to Work in the United States, but Not Allowed to be Physically Present in the United States – What?
by Rebecca Rojas, Associate Attorney Today, the Detroit News reported that Michigan has joined the two states — Nebraska and Arizona — that have banned the issuance of driver’s licenses to undocumented young people who qualify for Obama’s deferred action program (also known as the DACA program). By way of background, the DACA program gives immigrant youth who were brought …
An Immigrant Writes About the “State” of Immigration
Hi Mr. Charles, I am writing to you today less as your company’s client but more as an immigrant to USA conversing his concerns to the president of AILA. As our nation has taken a U-turn in the overall direction on the topics of major national agenda and foreign policy unfortunately one single area where we have not seen any …