Hundreds of thousands of “DREAMers” have been given what’s called deferred action, meaning the United States has decided not to immediately try to deport them.
This is also true for an estimated 1,400 people Arizona recently said can have driver’s licenses. They are applicants for a kind of visa given to some crime victims, and survivors of domestic violence, said Nicholas Espíritu staff attorney at the National Immigration Law Center, and part of the legal team that recently won a years long legal battle to get Arizona driver’s licenses for all people with deferred action.
The majority of people now eligible for Arizona driver’s licenses have a chance to change their immigration status in the future, Espíritu said.
“What the federal government has done is allow these folks the ability to work in the interim to allow them to continue to support themselves and their families,” he said.
Arizona has said anyone with a federal Employment Authorization Card can get a driver’s license.
