Living in U.S. illegally, 4,600 seek driving cards

Thousands of immigrants in the country illegally have sought a Delaware driving privilege card since December of last year despite predictions that few would sign up because of a fingerprinting requirement.

The Delaware Legislature passed a law in June of 2015 creating the fledgling program that gives immigrants living in the country illegally a legal way to drive, and the state began accepting applications in December. Those seeking the driving card must prove they have paid Delaware taxes for two years, submit fingerprints to the State Bureau of Identification and show a valid form of identification from their home country. They then have to pass a written and driving test and meet insurance requirements.

The law was written by a coalition of immigrant groups, police, and state officials.

When the program was created, immigrant groups, police and legislators debated whether to require applicants to submit fingerprints to the Delaware State Police. Some worried it would deter immigrants from signing up out of fear of deportation.

But as of Friday, approximately 4,600 people demonstrated their 2-year tax payment history and scheduled an appointment with the Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles, said Scott Vien, director of the agency.

"Those are positive numbers considering concerns over the fingerprinting issue," Vien said.

A driving privilege card expires after four years and is not a valid form of identification.

Delaware had about 20,000 people living in the country illegally in 2012, according to a Pew Research Center study released in 2014. Charito Calvachi-Mateyko, a dispute resolution attorney, who sits on the Delaware Hispanic Commission, thinks the number is around 35,000.

Immigrants who apply for the driving card in Delaware are outing themselves to state officials that they are in the country illegally, she said, and there is a constant fear of deportation around that. Despite that, people are applying because it allows them to become fuller members of their community, she said.

The fingerprinting and insurance requirements, as well as road tests also make streets safer for drivers and the police, she said.

Fingerprinting allows the "police to know that who they are stopping is who they say they are," Calvachi-Mateyko said.

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The biggest challenge for the program so far, Vien said, is educating driving card applicants about rules of the road. Of the 4,600 who sought an appointment, roughly 3,500 showed up and had the proper documentation, such as a required passport. Roughly 3,000 of those have taken a written test.

But roughly 40 percent of applicants who took a written test, which is offered in Spanish or English, failed.

Applicants must also pass a driving exam which includes an English road sign test.

As of Friday, 1,700 people have obtained either the initial temporary permit or the actual driving privilege card. DMV officials encourage applicants who have failed the written test to try again.

"We knew the pass rate would be a challenge based on what we saw in other states," Vien said.

A total of 11 states offer driving cards for people who are in the country illegally.

Contact Karl Baker at kbaker@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2329. Follow him on Twitter @kbaker6.