Immigrants rights groups stood on the steps of the state Capitol on Wednesday and chanted for their community’s right to have state identification cards.
“Hands too small, can’t build the wall!” the group shouted at one point, ribbing President Donald Trump.
About 30 activists and politicians gathered to show legislators the importance of a program that provides undocumented immigrants with driver’s licenses.
The Colorado Road and Community Safety Act authorizes the state to issue driver’s licenses to people who cannot fully prove they are citizens of the United States. To the undocumented community, driver’s licenses take an immense burden off everyday tasks. Without a license, a drive to the grocery store or to drop off a child at school can turn into a trip fraught with the fear of being arrested and deported.
“My driver’s license is proof I’m a part of this community,” said Bianca Acosta, a recipient of President Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy, which allows for undocumented children who arrived in the United States when they were young to stay in the country legally. “It allows me to drive my daughter home safely every day,” she said.
Supporters of the program say providing licenses to immigrants in the country illegally forces them to take a driving test, get insured and learn driving protocol, explained Rep. John Singer.
“Taxpayers deserve to know that when they get on the highway, everyone will know the rules of the road and will have insurance,” he said. “The benefit is for public safety, because roads are safer.”
Those who oppose the bill question the practice of providing people who are here illegally with government identification.
On Wednesday, Trump signed executive orders that clear the way for construction of his proposed wall on the Mexican border and to withhold federal funding from “sanctuary cities,” a term used for cities that resist enforcement of federal immigration law.
How Trump can restrict funding is unclear, but the activists at the Capitol were focusing on convincing the state legislature and preparing for a battle with the federal government.
“We’re all waiting to see how Colorado reacts to federal policy,” said Tania Chairez, an organizer with Padres & Jóvenes Unidos, an organization that participated in the rally. “Licenses are a state thing so we want to ensure the Colorado legislature knows this is important.”
In 2015, the five offices that issued such licenses across the state were reduced to one. Now, there are three offices where immigrants can go to apply for a new license, one in Denver, another in Grand Junction and a third in Colorado Springs. Activist groups are asking the legislature to amend the original law, so people with Social Security numbers can also apply for licenses.
“The average benefit is for the public, because the roads are safer,” Singer said. This issue should be bipartisan, he said, but has divided the state House along party lines. He mentioned Utah as an example of a state where politicians were able to cooperate on legislation that granted undocumented driver’s identification.
Mateo Lozano told the audience the story of his mother and father, a mayor and journalist who came to the United States from Colombia to seek a better life for their son. He, too, is a DACA recipient and fears for his future and that of the immigrant community under Trump.
“The line has been drawn, and it is clear,” he said. “We will not get support from the federal government.”