House Speaker Lee Chatfield, R-Levering, did not return an email seeking comment.Ī spokeswoman for Attorney General Dana Nessel, Kelly Rossman-McKinney, told the Free Press that no one has raised the issue with her office and they are not currently reviewing the state’s policies on undocumented immigrants and licenses. The Michigan Immigrant Rights Center also says on its website that “only the state Legislature can change the law.” She said she intends to introduce another bill later this year.Ĭhang said that the secretary of state and state attorney general can’t change the policies on their own. Stephanie Chang, D-Detroit, has previously introduced bills that would allow undocumented immigrants to get driver’s licenses. “But Secretary Benson is committed to doing everything she can to ensure our roads are safe.” “This is a legislative issue,” Starkey told the Free Press on Wednesday. In order for undocumented immigrants to get driver’s licenses, it would require legislative changes, said Shawn Starkey, a spokesman for Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. Later that year in 2008, state legislators got a law passed that clarified that undocumented immigrants could not get driver’s licenses. Jennifer Granholm sided with Land in denying them licenses. In January 2008, Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land then reiterated Cox’s ruling, saying that undocumented immigrants could not get licenses. In 1995, Attorney General Frank Kelly, a Democrat, issued an opinion saying that the State of Michigan could grant driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants.īut in 2007, Attorney General Mike Cox, a Republican, reversed that decision, saying that undocumented immigrants could not get licenses. More: ICE detained immigrant rights activist in Michigan and his mom
More: Grand Rapids officer who turned Marine veteran over to ICE is reinstated Practice your MI drivers license test the unlimited number of times online for free. But in Michigan, that practice ended in 2008. Michigan permit practice test is your great help in preparing for DMV exam. (See Fees to Reinstate Your License in Michigan below. Other states such as California and Illinois allow undocumented immigrants to get driver’s licenses. To reinstate your suspended license, you may need: A completed Application for Driver’s License Reinstatement (Form BDVR-162). The immigrants are then handed over to ICE, which detains them if they are living illegally in the U.S.Īllowing them to have licenses would enable them to avoid being detained and deported in many cases, said advocates. And it would help contribute to Michigan’s economy by making it easier for them work and pay taxes. Local immigrant advocates estimate that about 80% of immigrant detentions nationally are because law enforcement arrest immigrants who fail to show a valid driver’s license.