WJCNY has long advocated for the restoration of driver's license access to undocumented New Yorkers. This year, it could finally become a reality. Together with our partner organizations in the Green Light NY: Driving Together Coalition, we are pushing harder than ever for passage of legislation that would provide immigrant New Yorkers the opportunity to become licensed drivers with the ability to register and insure their vehicles, regardless of immigration status.

Lack of access to driver's licenses disproportionately affects farmworkers and other immigrant workers living in rural and suburban communities without reliable public transportation. Farmworkers often depend on rides from their employers to access basic good and services, such as grocery shopping and medical appointments, or must pay an exorbitant proportion of their hard-earned wages toward car services. Many are left with little choice but to drive without a license and run the risk of being detained or deported over a routine traffic stop, like dairy farmworker leader Carlos Cardona, whose case is still pending in immigration court.

Now is the time for New York State's legislature to pass legislation expanding driver's license eligibility. Please join us in Albany next Tuesday, March 12, as we call on lawmakers to ACT NOW on driver's licenses. The Green Light campaign will be sending buses from across the state. Sign up here for a seat on the bus nearest you! For more information about the Green Light campaign, visit www.greenlightnewyork.org.