The lawmakers of Alabama are looking to bar undocumented immigrants with out-of-state licenses from driving legally in the location. The new bill targets a class of licenses currently issued in a couple of states. Sponsor Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, talked about the bill SB108 and confirmed that it is based on similar legislation passed in Florida. The Arthur said while only a couple of states issue such driver’s licenses to undocumented people, that number of places is likely to grow.
He said, “They just have no documentation whatsoever, and as a means of identification here, to be allowed to drive here in Alabama, I don’t think we ought to allow it.” A total of 19 states allow immigrants to receive driver’s licenses if they have documentation ready for the same.
The registered bill would void licenses in states that issue them to undocumented immigrants. The drivers pulled over who have an invalid license would be issued a citation, under the Alabama bill. Carlos Aleman, head of the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama, confirmed that SB108 will have safety concerns, because it will result in undocumented drivers driving without licenses.
He also raised concerns about the bill, if passed, leading to racial profiling. He then talked about the same and mentioned, “How would anyone reasonably suspect anyone is undocumented by just how they and If the assumption is that folks who are undocumented happen to be Hispanic, that’s going to lead to a lot of folks being pulled over or being racially profiled.”