Could some in the non-extremist wing of the GOP be slowly starting to “get it” on immigration? Yesterday, the Huffington Post reported that the state of Nevada—led by Republican Governor Brian Sandoval—is the latest to confirm that it will allow DREAMers recognized by President Obama’s deferred action (DACA) program to apply for driver’s licenses. From the Elise Foley:
Receiving those licenses is a big deal for DREAMers — as they are often called based on the Dream Act — who are undocumented immigrants who entered the United States as children. Deferred action from the government allows them to work legally, but if they can’t drive, it’s difficult for many of them to do so.
State officials told the Sun that those young undocumented immigrants will be given the same ability to receive driver’s licenses in the state as any other resident.
“These individuals will not be treated any differently under Nevada law than any other noncitizen applying for an identification card or driver’s license,” said Kevin Malone, a spokesman for the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles, told the paper.
California and Florida are among the other states that confirmed they will also grant driver’s licenses to DACA-approved DREAMers. Nebraska, Michigan, and most notably Arizona have vowed that they will not. The American Civil Liberties Union, with the National Immigrant Law Center and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, sued Arizona yesterday over this position, saying that Arizona Governor Jan Brewer was denying DREAMers licenses “without any valid justification, including even a rational basis.”
Gov. Brewer’s response to that so far: to compare DREAMers to drunks and children.
