Bill eliminates driver licenses for more than 2,000 valley residents
More than 2,000 Cache Valley residents were left dumb-founded after Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman signed a controversial bill Tuesday that will make their driver licenses invalid beginning this July.
The public safety amendment states that undocumented residents who possess a Utah driver license will be required to exchange their current card for a “driving privilege card.” Current driver licenses will expire on the driver’s birthday starting July 1 of this year.
The new card will allow them the same driving rights but will not be accepted as proof of personal identification by any government institution.
In a statement issued to The Salt Lake Tribune on Tuesday, Huntsman’s office said, “The privilege card will allow undocumented individuals, foreign students, foreign business people and others who are here for an extended length of time, the ability to maintain mobility in Utah.”
Undocumented residents of all races will be affected by the new law, but the majority in Utah are Latinos.
According to the amendment, the new cards will “use a format, color, font or other means to clearly distinguish the driving privilege card from other driver licenses.” They will state clearly that the card is “For driving privileges only – not valid for identification.”
The law was designed to establish a driving privilege card as authorization to drive a motor vehicle but not to be used as identification or verification of residency.
Leo Bravo, director of the Cache Valley Hispanic Center, identified several alternative forms of acceptable identification, including a translated birth certificate from the country of birth, a legal license from another country and legal proof of residency such as tax files or car registration.
The law was initiated as a tracking system for all undocumented residents in Utah, Bravo said.
Utah State University political science Professor William Furlong said the law was created with good intentions, but the lawmakers “didn’t look at the end consequences.” He said he lacks faith in the program and feels it will cause more problems than it will solve.
One problem that Furlong described could tremendously damage Cache Valley’s economy. Since employers are required to check at least two forms of identification before hiring employees, obtaining a job will be difficult for undocumented residents, he said.
Many Cache Valley Hispanics are employed on dairy farms milking cows, at E.A. Miller slaughtering cattle and in hotels performing sanitation services.
Furlong said he has been involved in the Cache Valley Hispanic community since 1980 and has seen the rapid minority population growth.
Ten years ago, many illegal residents drove vehicles without licenses, he said. The consequences were hit-and-run accidents and hide-speed car chases. Illegal drivers “did not see police as helpful, but harmful and they ran,” Furlong said.
“Most who come in[to the U.S.] are running, and when they feel threatened, they’ll keep running,” he said.
He said he predicts a return to the days of hit-and-run accidents and car chases.
In 1996, Leo Bravo said he approached Logan City officials and asked what they considered to be the biggest problem among Latinos.
Their response was hit-and-run accidents and uninsured drivers. Bravo recognized a need to educate undocumented residents and give them the legal authorization to drive.
Working with the Cache County School District, Bravo founded the Cache Valley Hispanic Center in 1994, a non-profit organization assisting the Latino community.
The center offers a six-day driving instruction program. Bravo said students are informed about the rights and responsibilities of drivers, insurance requirements and other important information to “help them behave better” on the roads.
With the new law now in effect, at least 2,000 Cache Valley residents who have completed Bravo’s program and received driver licenses will now be required to hand them over to the Driver License Division in Logan. Bravo said he respects Huntsman and other state senators who passed the bill.
“That’s democracy,” he said. “I’m glad we’re in a country where we have the right to participate and speak up.”
He began Wednesday informing those who have completed his program that “the best thing to do now is just follow the [new] rules.”
-jhrash@cc.usu.edu