California may need to share protected information of driver’s license holders, including immigrants who do not have excellent documentation to reside in the countrywith federal authorities.
According to CalMatters, if state officials do not provide the data, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) could refuse to accept California licenses and IDs at airports and at other federal facilities across the country.
For immigrant rights advocates, That possibility breaks a promise California made a decade ago. when it began issuing licenses to undocumented immigrants, meaning more than a million people could be at risk of deportation.
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California authorities They would have plans to share data from the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)the agency in charge of issuing licenses and IDs, to comply with the Staunch ID Act of 2005, which establishes the requirements to accept state identification at the federal level.
Immigrant advocates who participated in a briefing from the DMV and Governor Newsom’s office, the data shared will show whether a person has a Social Security number, meaning they could be used to identify undocumented people.
California plans to release the information to the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA)a nonprofit organization whose board of directors is made up of Department of Motor Vehicles officials from across the country.
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The information will be fed into the group’s interstate verification system and platform (SPEXS), which allows motor vehicle departments check if a person has more than one license issued in their name.
Advocates fear federal immigration agencies will try to gain mass access to information and that they can verify if a person who does not have a Social Security number can be deported.
California allegedly received assurances from the association that there would be safeguards to Prevent Mass Searches for Undocumented Immigrant License Holders and prevent access by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
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“Once data is uploaded to AAMVA, it escapes the California alterregardless of what California wants or what protests we can do,” said Ed Hasbrouck of the civil liberties advocacy group The Identification Mission in San Francisco.
Before sharing the data, the California Legislature must approve $55 million dollars to cover DMV costs.
In addition, it may be necessary to modify the current lawwhich states that a Social Security number obtained by the DMV cannot be shared for any purpose other than to handle unpaid taxes, parking tickets, or child support.
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For more than a decade, California has urged undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses to support public safety and the economy.
Approximately one million people have obtained driver’s licenses by California Law AB 60, passed in 2013, which prohibits the state from using information obtained during the licensing process to determine a person’s citizenship.
However, the federal verification system can demonstrate If a person is an undocumented immigrant.
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The data list includes the last five digits of a license holder’s Social Security number, and if that person does not have a Social Security number, The association allows states to use the number “99999,” which can reveal whether an undocumented person is involved..
For advocacy groups, Sharing driver’s license information constitutes treason to immigrants who have licenses.
“It is not clear to what extent this decision poses a danger to people, but there is no doubt that We told AB 60 license holders that this would never happen.but it is happening, and that is a betrayal,” said Oakland Privacy Advocacy Director Tracy Rosenberg.
Keep reading:
· California begins fining electric cars in high occupancy lanes
· California renews the image of driver’s licenses and identification cards
· Everything about Staunch ID in California before the May 7 deadline
