By GALEO Student Intern, Crystal Muñoz
As the renewal of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is heavy under way, one Senator, Joshua McKoon, from Columbus is seeking to take away driver’s licenses’ from anyone who benefits from Deferred Action with Georgia Senate Bill 61. If Senate Bill 6 were to become state law, it would leave thousands of undocumented students without reliable transportation. As a student myself, I know how vital is to have a reliable form of transportation. Students need to get to school, work, and home, and we all need to make it there on time. Yet, if undocumented students are left without a valid Georgia License it will be impossible to live.
One reason McKoon gives for taking away driver’s licenses’ is national security2. He believes that the State of Georgia and its federal buildings will be in danger if DACA students are able to obtain licenses. This fear is completely unfounded. In order for an undocumented student to benefit from deferred action they must first prove that they “have not been convicted of a felony, significant misdemeanor, or three or more other misdemeanors, and do not otherwise pose a threat to national security or public safety”3. Once a student can prove that, they can and should be able to attain deferred action status and a driver’s license. Now, when it come times to renew the deferred action the student must continue to demonstrate that they are not a threat to national security or to public safety in order to keep their status4.
These students are not criminals. They work, go to school, and some even protect this country; yet, the State of Georgia wants to leave them stranded and in harms way. If the DACA student are not allowed to have valid a driver’s license, some may be force to drive and live their life without one. Yes, it is against law to drive without a license but McKoon leaves these students no choice. They will continue to live their lives in spite of Mr.McKoon, even if means putting themselves in danger. Consequently, by not allowing the renewal of driver’s licenses, McKoon is causing the threat to public security by stripping their ability to obtain car insurance. This leaves not only the DACA students in danger but also Georgia residents. The DACA students have dreams, goals, and aspirations that cannot be taken away by the State of Georgia. They and rest of the Latino community will continue to fight until we are all seen as equals in the eye of the law.
The DACA students are in no way, shape or form looking for a free ride. As immigrants we know the harsh reality of what the American Dream is: it is working day in and day out. Undocumented people are treated like they are less than in this “society”. They receive low wages and do jobs no other American considers doing. Yet, they do it because they know that, even though it is little money, it is going to help them and their family succeed.
3. http://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/consideration-deferred-action-childhood-arrivals-daca
4. http://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/consideration-deferred-action-childhood-arrivals-process/renew-your-daca