In the Democratic-held state of New York, illegal immigrants are now allowed to obtain driver’s licenses, leading to hundreds lining up to apply.
The new law allows illegal immigrants to use foreign documentation to gain American driver’s licenses. The Fiscal Policy Institute estimates that 250,000 illegal immigrants, half of those located in New York, will obtain a driver’s license in the next three years.
The Green Light Law, which allows illegal immigrants the right to obtain driver’s licenses, went into effect in New York on Monday. New Jersey passed similar legislation the same day, and Democratic Gov. Philip Murphy promised to sign the bill into law, which would make New Jersey the 15th state in the United States to grant licenses to illegal immigrants.
Lines snaking around DMV buildings in New York were reported by the New York Times after the state’s law went into effect, and a packed room of immigrant activists celebrated in New Jersey as its legislation passed.
The moment when hundreds of New Jersey immigrants, after 18 years of fighting, learned that they had finally won #LicensesForAll! pic.twitter.com/BM9jBsC5O7
— Movimiento Cosecha (@CosechaMovement) December 16, 2019
Twitter users were quick to criticize the Green Light Law, sharing photos and videos of the DMV lines in New York.
Where is @ICEgov when the City of New York is illegally handing out drivers licenses to Illegal Immigrants? They literally have lines so long they’re wrapping around the block.#IL03 #Twill #MAGApic.twitter.com/Cm2XzAmzZe
— Team Cathy for Congress (@TeamCathy4IL03) December 16, 2019
Whoa!!!!!
How convenient is this during an election year.
This is the line of
undocumented (illegal) immigrants outside a New York DMV to get their license. pic.twitter.com/XuI9DBaPqv— Go Trump (@GKeile) December 17, 2019
Democrats continue to reward illegal immigration and then can’t seem to understand why we have an illegal immigration problem…
Illegal Immigrants in New York can now apply for drivers licenses.pic.twitter.com/hWOUaedHm3
— Jenny Beth Martin (@jennybethm) December 17, 2019
I was born here and I had to show my birth certificate, my social security card, my current driver’s license and two forms of proof of residency.
How does this even work? https://t.co/0ayesN9kIz
— Chad Felix Greene (@chadfelixg) December 17, 2019
The laws come as President Trump secured $1.3 billion in funding yesterday for the continued building of his promised wall along on the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump made illegal immigration a cornerstone of his 2016 campaign and has boosted arrests and deportations of illegal immigrants during his tenure in the White House.
