Undocumented immigrants fl ood DMV for licenses
BY KEVIN DUGGAN
Hundreds of Brooklynites
waited in hours-long lines at
the Atlantic Center Department
of Motor Vehicles branch
on Monday after a state law
allowing undocumented immigrants
to apply for driver’s
licenses took effect over the
weekend.
“This is a good move and I
thank the high powers, I thank
them very much for what they
are doing for us,” said an undocumented
Brooklynite who
only gave her name as Barb T.
The so-called Green Light
Law allows New Yorkers aged
16 or older to apply for a driver’s
license, regardless of
their citizenship status by not
requiring a Social Security
Number.
Under the new standards —
which took effect Saturday after
months of legal challenges,
and which already exists in 12
other states — applicants can
receive a standard, non-federal
license by providing proof
of their identity with non-citizenship
related documents,
such as a foreign passport, foreign
driver’s licenses or the
municipal IDNYC card.
The permit will, however,
be marked with “NOT FOR
FEDERAL PURPOSES,” and
will not allow card holders to
board domestic fl ights or enter
some secure federal buildings
— such as military bases — for
which a so-called “REAL ID”
is necessary.
Lines snaked outside the
DMV offi ces at the Atlantic
Center Mall’s second fl oor on
Monday as Kings County drivers
to-be gathered to be among
the fi rst undocumented people
to recive their legal driving
permit — with some eager immigrants
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lining up before the
auto bureau’s doors opened.
Barb — a Sheepshead Bay
resident who moved to the US
from Jamaica — said she was
delighted to hear the news that
the law would offi cially take
effect, and immediately called
friends of hers who are also
without a legal status.
“Oh man, I screamed last
night and called my friends,’”
she said.
The law had originally
passed in June, but was stalled
by multiple legal challenges
from county clerks upstate,
who claimed it would open up a
loophole for exploitation — until
a federal judge rejected the
most recent lawsuit Friday.
The looser requirements
marks a return to pre-2001
standards, when non-citizens
were permitted driver’s licenses
— until then-Governor
George Pataki issued an executive
order directing the state
to require a Social Security
Number, citing public safety
concerns after the Sept. 11th
terrorist attacks.
A spokeswoman for the Department
said that the agency
added extra staff and resources
to handle the larger caseload,
and several staffers helped
applicants on line by making
sure they had all the necessary
documents on them.
“We are experiencing larger
crowds today – and in preparation,
the NYS DMV has added
resources, like kiosks, to assist
customers in the offi ces whose
transactions can be completed
online, updated our reservation
system, adjusted staffi ng
levels, and encouraged customers
to use our website to
prepare for their visit, which
improves the wait times for everyone
in the offi ce,” said Lisa
Koumjian.
The new legislation helps
many non-citizens, like one
Bedford-Stuyvesant resident
who said that he was forced
to quit his delivery job after
he lost his legal status — and
therefore his driver’s license .
“My wife, she drives so she
has a car and it’s as simple as
‘Hey, I’m tired, can you drive,’
when we go on long trips — little
things like that,” said Cesar
Ventura. “So it’s your daily
life, not just your job.”
Hundreds of Brooklynites wait on line at the Department of Motor Vehicles at Atlantic Center Mall in Fort
Greene on Dec. 16. Photo by Kevin Duggan
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