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Arizona Attorney General Appeals Drivers License Ruling

license
Arizona Motor Vehicle Division

The Arizona Attorney General is appealing a ruling that forced the state to issue driver's licenses to young immigrants protected from deportation by the Obama administration. 

Attorney General Mark Brnovich's office says it’s challenging the decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which went into effect in December.

About 20,000 young immigrants in Arizona qualify for licenses under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and were able to start getting the IDs two months ago.

In 2012, former Gov. Jan Brewer issued an executive order denying the young people licenses claiming the federal program doesn’t give those immigrants legal status. A federal court blocked the order, and said the state must grant the licenses while the case is being litigated. 

The Arizona Department of Transportation will continue to issue licenses until further court action is taken.

Alexandra Olgin was a Senior Field Correspondent at KJZZ from 2013 to 2016.