Give My Mom A Drivers License For Mothers Day, NJ Kids Plead – Montclair, NJ Patch

As Mother’s Day 2019 rolls around, many of New Jersey’s daughters and sons are still scrambling to find the perfect gift to show their parents how much they love them. But several children of undocumented immigrants in the Garden State know exactly what they want to get their mothers this year: driver’s licenses.

On Friday, children from across the state delivered handmade cards to their local lawmakers in honor of Mother’s Day, offering emotional pleas for why they need their parents to be able to drive.

“If my mom could drive, she could take me to school,” said Lisett, 7, whose mother is a member of immigrant rights organization Make the Road New Jersey in Passaic.

“When the weather is bad, me and my sister have to wait for the bus in the snow or rain,” the 7-year-old said. “The water gets in our shoes and backpacks.”

For Vanessa, 9, a driver’s license would mean that her mother could skip her daily bus ride and make it home in time for dinner. For Emilio, 8, it would mean that his mom could take him to school, the park or to karate class.

The story goes on like this for thousands of other children in New Jersey, local immigration advocates say.

Ricardo, 13, said that since he was young, his parents have burned the candle at both ends trying to make sure their basic needs are met. But that means they have to travel two hours to work via bus and foot, when the same commute would take about 20 minutes in a car.

“With a license, I will be able to see my mom at home more because she won’t be spending hours commuting,” he said.

The situation is urgent, according to advocates with the Let’s Drive NJ campaign. Currently, 168,000 children in New Jersey have at least one parent who can’t get a driver’s license because of their immigration status.

But it’s not just undocumented immigrants who struggle with getting their license, according to the group. Overall, more than 719,000 residents in New Jersey have trouble accessing a driver’s license, including low-income individuals and former inmates reentering society after serving jail time.

It’s one reason that Let’s Drive NJ is pushing for a proposed state law that would expand access to driver’s licenses for undocumented residents and others. Hopefully, the bills, A-4743 and its companion, S-3229, can make their way through the state Legislature before its members go on break June 30, the group said.

If not, thousands of children in New Jersey will continue to suffer while lawmakers get to spend time with their own families, advocates warned.

According to Let’s Drive NJ, allowing undocumented residents to get driver’s licenses would also benefit their communities as a whole. For example, research shows noncitizen women who have a license are more likely to be able to take up part-time work than those without, and therefore have more economic ability to contribute to the local economy.

“With a driver’s license, more mothers in New Jersey can be economically independent, have more time to care for their kids, and be more likely to contribute to local economies,” said Erika Nava, a policy analyst at New Jersey Policy Perspective (NJPP).

The NJPP writes:

“In New Jersey, having a car is essential to fully participating in the economy. No matter where you live in the Garden State — with very few exceptions — driving is necessary to get to work, pick kids up from school and take them to the doctor, shop for groceries and complete all the other errands that fill up the day. The ability to drive legally and safely is central to a vibrant New Jersey economy where everyone can work, get around and provide for themselves and their families.”

Based on the experiences of other states that have implemented driver’s license expansion, NJPP estimated that 338,000 eligible New Jersey residents would apply for a license within three years of the proposed law’s passage.

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