Minnesota must “act now” to pass a bill that would allow Minnesotans to obtain driver’s licenses without proof of citizenship, Archbishop Bernard Hebda told state legislators Feb. 26.

“Minnesota needs to act now to limit the threat that a traffic stop will upend lives and families of our friends and neighbors,” he said. “Our immigrant brothers and sisters deserve to live with dignity, not in fear of being separated from their families every time they need to drive somewhere.”

The bill, HF1163, “Driver’s Licenses For All,” would amend Minnesota statutes affecting driver’s licenses so that an applicant does not need to show proof of citizenship or lawful presence in the U.S.

In testimony before the Minnesota House Judiciary Finance and Civil Law Committee, Archbishop Hebda called the bill an “urgently needed remedy for the approximately 90,000 undocumented people in our state.”

“Allowing undocumented persons to obtain provisional driver’s licenses serves the common good in several ways,” he said, speaking for the Minnesota Catholic Conference, which advocates for public policy on behalf of the Catholic Church in Minnesota. “Most importantly, public safety is promoted by having more licensed drivers on the road, who, studies have shown, are less likely to be involved in fatal accidents and also are more likely to be insured.”

Rep. Ryan Winkler (DFL-Golden Valley), the bill’s primary author, said the bill has passed Minnesota’s Senate and House in previous legislative sessions, and “has been a long time in coming.” He noted 15 other states allow for non-citizens to obtain driver’s licenses, and that Minnesota used to be among them, before the law changed in 2003.

Archbishop Hebda acknowledged that some Minnesotans may object to the legislation on the grounds that “it will reward lawbreaking and undermine respect for the rule of law.”

“Let me address that objection head on,” he said. “Almost everyone acknowledges that we have a broken immigration system that needs fixing. Sadly, Congress has not passed comprehensive reform legislation. We cannot wait. … This bill is one of the most important things we can do for our immigrant brothers and sisters here in Minnesota. Immigrants are here to stay and will continue to drive to meet their needs. Let us both make everyone safer and help the strangers in our midst, so that perhaps they become strangers to us no longer.”

Minnesota citizens should view undocumented immigrants with dignity, and as brothers and sisters, he said.

“Too often, we let secondary relationships define our identities and how we treat others. We may see ourselves as American citizens, and immigrants as ‘illegals’ or ‘aliens,’” he said. “How unfortunate if those labels limit the reach of our solidarity. Instead, we must first identify ourselves as brothers and sisters, all children of the same God, each possessing the dignity of being created in his image and likeness. It is unthinkable that there would be borders in his kingdom. Nor should there be borders around our hearts.”

Others testifying in support of the bill included Pamela Barragan, St. Paul Police’s first Latina commander; Dr. Gregory McNamara, a physician in Little Falls; and Lucas Sjostrom, executive director of the Minnesota Milk Producers Association. Proponents said the bill would lead to safer roads and an improved relationship between immigrants and law enforcement officials, and it would support the state’s economy, which already relies on the work of undocumented immigrants.