While a proposal allowing undocumented immigrant families in Massachusetts to drive legally has had some support among legislators in past years, legislation had never gone before the state House for a full floor vote. That changed this week when the chamber on Wednesday approved the Work and Family Mobility Act by an overwhelming 120-36 vote.
“This bill would enable all qualified state residents to apply for a standard state driver’s license, regardless of immigrant status, while keeping our Commonwealth in full compliance with REAL ID requirements,” Massachusetts Immigrant & Refugee Advocacy Coalition said. “There was applause in the chamber after the vote was announced,” The Boston Globe reported.
Should the full legislature pass the bill and it become law, Massachusetts will join neighbors Vermont, Connecticut, and more than a dozen other states in allowing undocumented residents to drive legally. The commonwealth is home to an estimated 250,000 undocumented residents, the American Immigration Council estimated in 2020.
“Advocates have been working on this issue for nearly two decades,” The Boston Globe continued. The issue has become more pressing for many immigrant essential workers amid the pandemic. Not only does their status as an essential worker leave them vulnerable to contracting the virus, driving as part of their work also leaves them at greater risk of being turned over to immigration agents if they get pulled over.
Boston City Council Member Tania Fernandes Anderson tweeted that she recalled a period more than two decades ago when she feared driving to child care and work meant possible deportation and family separation. “I jumped in my ‘89 Hyundai, no driver’s license, off I went in tears, praying to God that I not get deported, that He saves my job & so I can care for my baby,” she wrote. This remains the reality for many families today.
“Public transit options are far too limited to enable most residents to get to work, take their children to the doctor, or buy groceries,” MIRA Coalition said. “Indeed, 78% of workers in our Commonwealth rely on personal vehicles to get to their jobs.”
This fight to pass the Work and Family Mobility Act now goes to the Senate. House Speaker Ronald Mariano told the Globe “he’s confident the Senate can also pass the bill with enough support.” Republican Gov. Charlie Baker has previously opposed such legislation, and apparently continues to do so. The Boston Globe reports the bill passed the House with “enough votes in the heavily Democratic chamber to overcome a potential veto.”
”This is a HUGE victory for the organizers & advocates who've worked for years to advance this critical bill,” tweeted Rep. Ayanna Pressley. “Everyone deserves access to a driver’s license regardless of immigration status & I look forward to seeing this bill become law.” The bill’s passage was also celebrated by Sen. Ed Markey. “Congratulations @DrivingMA4ward and thank you to everyone who has fought so hard to pass the Work and Family Mobility Act,” he tweeted. “We are so very close to finally allowing all people the right to apply for driver’s licenses regardless of immigration status.”