It's D-day for driving cards

Immigrants have many questions about new law

Published: Thursday, June 30, 2005 11:00 p.m. MDT
 |  E-MAIL | PRINT | FONT + - 
As today's expiration for their Utah identification cards neared, many undocumented immigrants were still feeling left in the dark.

Nervous Hispanic immigrants inundated a local Spanish radio station with questions for three hours Thursday morning as well as flooded attorneys and community leaders with queries on how a new driving privilege card and the expiration of state ID cards will impact them.

The Utah Department of Public Safety has sent out 74,000 expiration notices to state ID card holders, and agency spokesman Lt. Doug McCleve has conducted interviews with several Spanish language media outlets.

But Tony Yapias, a Latino community activist who fielded questions at station Exitos 1550 AM, said, "I think the state didn't do a very good job of getting the message out to the community."

Most of the questions centered on the specific details of the new law, which replaces identification cards and drivers' licenses with a driving privilege card for undocumented immigrants. Of the 65 calls he took Thursday morning, Yapias said about 80 percent were questions on when those ID cards and licenses will expire.

Although all Utah ID cards issued to illegal immigrants expired Thursday at midnight, a driver's license will be valid until the next birthday of the cardholder. But for immigrants whose birthday falls today or this weekend, the previous license is now expired and the driver's privilege card is required.

Story continues below

Many undocumented workers were unaware of that timetable and now must scramble to get the new card before their birthdays. As of June 27, 5,280 driving privilege cards had been issued, with 61,000 drivers' licenses set to expire over the next year.

"If your birthday is July 1, happy birthday, but you're out of luck," Yapias said. "There have been people who were letting their license expire because they didn't know what to do. Get up and go to the DMV and get it as soon a possible."

The changes are also causing confusion at the Department of Motor Vehicles, Yapias said. Some undocumented immigrants are being forced to change over to the driving privilege card immediately, even though their birthdays are not until later this year.

McCleve told the Deseret Morning News Thursday that the rules for the driving privilege cards are the same as for drivers' licenses. They can be renewed up to six months before a driver's birthday. Those with good driving records only need proof of residency to turn in their license for a driving privilege card. However, if they have had more than one ticket per year, they need to retake the written driving test, he said.

Another group that becomes eligible for the driving privilege card today are those who can prove a legal presence, but who don't have a work purpose, such as those with student visas or some foreign workers at Hill Air Force Base.

Comments

You can be the first to comment on this story.

previousnext

Latest comments

Stadium of Fire flag burning was fake

Just consider who they chose as the guest MC: Glenn Beck from "Fox News",...

It was pageantry. I assume you've all been to Manti. When you watch a...

Sacred = Deceit? This statement sums it up: "We felt, in the spirit and...

Every time I am in down town Salt Lake I see that idiot building just sitting...

i like okur. and he is a model citizen for the jazz. if boozer goes, okur...

Obama controls all

To "Rise up? | 7:30 a.m." so you say "We rid ourselves of the 8 year cancer...

I love it. Couldn't agree more.

What a bunch of moronic posts! Science is supposed to be about skeptism,...

I like today's story about Biden that said: According to the White House...

I am glad (sarcastically) how the Obama administration will back up a petty...

Advertisements