LANSING – House Majority Floor Leader Steve Tobocman (D-Detroit) today blasted Attorney General Mike Cox and Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land for their job-killing decision to ban legal citizens from receiving a driver's license, in light of a lawsuit filed against Land by the American Civil Liberties Union.
"The ACLU's lawsuit highlights the need for quick action to end this job-killing debacle," said Tobocman. "It highlights the shaky legal foundation on which the Attorney General's opinion is based, and it emphasizes how harmful this driver's license policy is for creating and maintaining good-paying jobs in Michigan. Prohibiting legal citizens from being able to get a driver's license is a slap in the face to those who are in this country legally, and it sends the wrong message to businesses that are looking to invest in Michigan."
In December, Cox issued an opinion declaring that licenses were restricted to only "permanent" residents as opposed to those with a "legal presence." Land, in turn, instructed her clerks to issue new driver's licenses or state IDs to those who are permanent legal Michigan residents, meaning that anyone on a temporary work visa or otherwise in the country legally would not qualify for a driver's license. Hundreds of businesses and thousands of students, doctors, nurses, and religious officials would be prohibited from having a Michigan license.
The ACLU filed the lawsuit today on behalf of six Michigan residents who have permission from the federal government to live and work in the U.S., including a University of Michigan language assessment specialist from Singapore and a political refugee in Detroit who was granted asylum after being tortured for his political activity in Africa.
Last week, the House took action to protect thousands of Michigan jobs by passing legislation that effectively reverses Land's decision to ban legal residents from obtaining a driver's license. In addition, the legislation helps ensure security for our families by banning illegal immigrants from receiving a driver's license.
"As a legislator, my top priority is creating and maintaining good-paying jobs in Michigan, and convincing businesses that our state is a great place to set up shop," Tobocman said. "The House has taken action to protect jobs and ban illegal immigrants from getting drivers licenses, and it's time for the Senate to finish the job we started."