Long Lines, Qualifications Greet Undocumented Immigrants Seeking Licenses At DMV
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Lines were long at the DMV at Broadway and Stockton in Sacramento for the first day undocumented workers were allowed to apply for driver's licenses in California.
Mario Perez has been operating his small truck driving business in the United States for 12 years. He left Mexico for a new life for his family in 2003.
He says he's been driving illegally for more than a decade, but the new law will make his business legal.
"I need the license, you know, to drive here in California," he said.
State officials say Perez is one of nearly 1.5 million undocumented immigrants that will apply for a driver's license over the next three years.
Spokeswoman Jaime Garza says the DMV has hired an additional 1,000 temporary workers for the state's 170 DMV offices.
"As for today, we're as ready as we can be," she said.
But state officials aren't handing out licenses to undocumented immigrants like candy. They have to qualify, just like anyone else.
"They have to prove that are who they are, their identity, and they must prove that they are a resident of California," she said.
They also have to sign an affidavit of truthfulness about who they are, and like all California drivers, they must pass written and driving tests. They also will be fingerprinted for future identification.
The new demands are something Perez and other immigrant applicants like him are more than willing to meet.
"Because I have my business and I need to be driving all day," he said.
