A celebratory crowd gathered Tuesday morning to witness the culmination of a 20-year dream for unauthorized immigrants in Minnesota who have been barred from driving legally.
Gov. Tim Walz signed a bill into law at the Minnesota National Guard Armory in St. Paul that will allow unauthorized immigrants in Minnesota to obtain driver's licenses.
The bill restores license requirements to pre-2003 rules, when access to a driver's license did not hinge on immigration status. The law will go into effect in October.
The law, which changed after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, did not improve safety for Minnesotans, but certainly caused harm, Walz told a crowd of dozens.
"I feel incredibly proud of Minnesota," Walz said.
The crowd of political and community leaders broke out into cheers when Walz put pen to paper and the bill became law.
Minnesota joins eighteen states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico where residents can access driver's licenses regardless of immigration status. Licenses can be used for driving and identification purposes.
Driver's licenses can be obtained after successful passage of written and road tests. Applicants will be required to attest to their address in Minnesota and provide documents such as an unexpired foreign passport, a consular identification document with a photograph or a certified birth certificate issued by a foreign jurisdiction, among other documents.
Opponents argued the bill would open an avenue to voter fraud and illegal immigration to Minnesota. But under the law, licenses can be used for driving and identification purposes, but cannot be used to vote or to obtain a REAL ID, authors have pointed out.
Senate bill chief sponsor Zaynab Mohamed, DFL-Minneapolis, said in an interview that the passage of the law was encouraging but frustrating for her and the coalition who believe the law should have been changed years ago.
"I think we got to see both the really beautiful side of this bill and the kind of coalitions that have been built over the years and how many people really stand behind this community," Mohamed said.
