WYOMING, MI – The Godrey-Lee Board of Education is backing legislation to change state law to issue driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants.
Superintendent Kevin Polston said school leaders have first-hand knowledge of the impact the inability to acquire a driver’s license is having on their student families and the community.
He said 75 percent of the school district’s 1,850 students are Hispanic or Latino.
“Even if we didn’t serve this population of students, we would support the legislation because it is the right thing to do for human dignity and safety,” Polston said. “This shouldn’t be partisan issue.”
The resolution that passed unanimously December 13 urges lawmakers to support Senate Bills 631 and 632 and House Bills 5192 and 5193 that would allow immigrants to more easily integrate into their communities and benefit all Michiganders.
“As a Board of Education, we cite health, safety, dignity, and quality of life issues supporting this measure,’’ according to the resolution.
The resolution outlines what issuing the driver’s licenses and state identification cards would do including:
- Support the economic health and safety of our students.
- Be a gateway to employment to help parents secure their families economically.
- Allow undocumented persons to purchase cars and insurance, generating economic activity and improving road safety.
- Give parents the opportunity to volunteer at their child’s school, attend after-school programs, and extracurricular events.
Godfrey-Lee is the second Kent County school district to take formal action in favor of the licenses.
In November, the Grand Rapids Board of Education approved a legislative policy position that supports undocumented immigrants being able obtain driver’s licenses. The district cited many of the same reasons as Godfrey-Lee.
Hispanics/Latinos represent the district of more than 15,000 students largest population at 37 percent, according to 2018-19 data.
The Grand Rapids school board’s action came on the heels of the Grand Rapids City Commission’s October letter in support of licenses. City and school leaders did not cite specific bills in their measures.
Democratic state lawmakers, including Sen. Winnie Brink, D-Grand Rapids and Rep. Rachel Hood, D-Grand Rapids, introduced their legislation after both the school district and city voted.
Godfrey-Lee’s resolution specifically references those bills in Drive SAFE, short for Safety, Access, Freedom, and the Economy.
The legislation would let any resident who meets age requirements and can prove Michigan residency obtain a state identification card or apply for a driver’s license, including immigrants living in Michigan without legal permission.
But changing state law will be an uphill battle in the Republican-controlled state legislature. Republicans in both the House and Senate have said repeatedly that state and local governments shouldn’t be able to hinder enforcement of federal immigration law.
Michigan allowed undocumented immigrants to obtain licenses until 2008.
In 2007, former Republican Attorney General Mike Cox issued an opinion saying undocumented immigrants could not obtain driver’s licenses, reversing a previous 1995 opinion. Lawmakers then passed a law banning them from getting licenses.
Twelve states and the District of Columbia have enacted laws to allow undocumented immigrants to obtain a driver’s licenses.
Democrats say the change would allow undocumented residents to contribute even more to Michigan’s economy.
“Immigrants contribute more than $3.3 billion to the Kent County economy alone, and foreign-born workers would have the potential to contribute even more to our communities if eligible for a state identification card,” said Brinks, who introduced SB 632, in a post on her website following the Drive SAFE plan announcement.
“Foreign-born entrepreneurs own and operate businesses of all kinds, and nearly half of the workers in our agriculture industry are immigrants. It’s time we make this change for the sake of our communities and their families.”
As of Dec. 24, Grand Rapids schools had been the only school district to take a formal position on the licenses, according to data from the Michigan League of Public Policy.
City leaders in Detroit and Kalamazoo have passed resolutions in support of licenses as well as county leaders in Kalamazoo, Washtenaw and Oakland.