It's D-day for driving cards

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.

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.