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Action Alert: Say No to Ending Asylum

A new anti-asylum rule proposed by the Biden administration echoes one of the worst violations of U.S. asylum law attempted by the Trump administration. The rule attempts to bar asylum seekers who have passed through a third country from applying for asylum in the United States. This blatant violation of human rights and U.S. and international law cannot be allowed to stand.   

The government is required to review and respond to comments on the regulation in writing in the Federal Register. Click here to send a public comment before March 27. To make sure the government counts and considers your comment, please edit the pre-drafted suggestion to make it unique – duplicate comments will otherwise be lumped together and responded to as one. 

The new regulation says that any asylum seekers coming through a third country will face a “rebuttable presumption” of ineligibility. In effect, this new rule would limit asylum to Mexicans, Canadians, people arriving in small boats, and those with the money and connections to obtain visas and airline tickets.  

The “rebuttable presumption” requires asylum seekers to prove “imminent and extreme” threats to life or safety or a medical emergency. Without these exceptional circumstances, they will not even be allowed to apply for asylum. Asylum seekers, already exhausted by long overland journeys and traumatized by violence in their countries of origin and during these journeys, will find this a near-impossible challenge.  

This ban is illegal, inhumane, and dangerous. It violates U.S. asylum law, which gives any person present in or arriving in the United States an absolute right to apply for asylum. U.S. asylum law says that time spent in a third country only bars people passing through a designated ‘safe third country’ or having ‘firmly resettled’ in a third country. Neither Mexico nor any Central American country is designated as a ‘safe third country’.

 The government is required to review and respond to comments on the regulation in writing in the Federal Register. Click here to send a public comment before March 27. To make sure the government counts and considers your comment, please edit the pre-drafted suggestion to make it unique – duplicate comments will otherwise be lumped together and responded to as one. 

Driver’s Licenses for All Becomes Law!

March 7, 2023—Today Governor Tim Walz signed the legislation restoring driver’s licenses to all Minnesotans regardless of immigration status so long as they pass the written and practical tests.

This legislation increases safe legal access to our shared roads for everyone, which was the law in Minnesota until 2003.  The passage of this legislation was accomplished by the efforts of grassroots immigrant organizations, labor unions and nonprofits, business and law enforcement groups, and elected officials across Minnesota. During the debate, supporters highlighted the diverse interests in favor of this bill, including the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association and Minnesota Police Chiefs Association, major labor organizations, and numerous immigrant-led organizations.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, ILCM Executive Director Veena Iyer thanked supporters of the bill and especially the immigrant-led organizations in the forefront of the movement, concluding: “So today, we also celebrate our democracy. One that is messy, but one in which ordinary people can come together to do extraordinary things. One in which Driver’s Licenses for All is only the first of many policies that we will pass together to make our state better for all Minnesotans regardless of their immigration status.”

Governor Walz Will Sign Driver’s Licenses for All on Tuesday

March 6, 2023—On Tuesday, March 7, Governor Tim Walz will sign the Driver’s Licenses for All bill at the St. Paul Armory at 10:15 a.m.

The bill will restore driver’s licenses to all Minnesotans regardless of immigration status so long as they pass the written and practical tests, increasing safe legal access to our shared roads for everyone. This was the law in Minnesota until 2003 when the governor unilaterally revoked this right.

The bill, passed by the House and Senate, was supported by grassroots community organizations, nonprofits, business and law enforcement groups, and elected officials across Minnesota.

“This is a major victory for all of us involved – especially those impacted who have been fighting and engaging others since day one,” said ILCM Executive Director Veena Iyer. “Access to driver’s licenses is important for public safety, economic growth, and the dignity of our community members.”

Currently, eighteen states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico allow residents to access driver’s licenses regardless of immigration status.

Final Vote Thursday on Driver’s Licenses for All

February 28, 2023—On Thursday, March 2 at 3:30 p.m., the Minnesota House of Representatives is scheduled for a floor session, where the House will vote to formally concur with the Senate amendments on the Driver’s Licenses for All Bill (HF4). The House will take two votes: the first to approve the Senate amendments and the second to re-pass the bill with the amendments. After these votes, the bill will be sent to the governor’s desk for his signature. The House is expected to accept the amendments and re-pass the bill, and the governor is expected to sign it. 

“The struggle for Driver’s Licenses for All has lasted two decades,” said ILCM Executive Director Veena Iyer. “In 2003, the governor unilaterally revoked the right of all Minnesotans – regardless of immigration status – to obtain a driver’s license so long as they passed the written and skills tests and obtained insurance. We are on the cusp of restoring that right.”

On January 30, Driver’s Licenses for All passed the Minnesota House of Representatives by a 69-60 vote. On February 22, the bill passed the Minnesota Senate by a 34-31 vote. The final step before the bill reaches the governor’s desk is the House concurrence because the bill language passed by the Senate differed slightly from the bill language passed by the House. 

Currently, eighteen states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico allow residents to access driver’s licenses regardless of immigration status. Learn more about how those states have benefitted through ILCM’s Fact Sheet on Driver’s Licenses. 

Issuing licenses without proof of immigration status would not only benefit immigrants, but also the elderly, those experiencing homelessness, and other groups who may have difficulty obtaining hard-to-access documentation. 

Driver’s Licenses for All: Passes Minnesota Senate!

February 22, 2023 – By a vote of 34-31, the Minnesota Senate passed Driver’s Licenses for All (HF 4) early this morning!

This victory is thanks to the efforts of grassroots immigrant organizations, labor unions and nonprofits, business and law enforcement groups, and elected officials across Minnesota. During the debate, supporters highlighted the diverse interests in favor of this bill, including the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association and Minnesota Police Chiefs Association, major labor organizations, and numerous immigrant-led organizations.

In 2003, then-Governor Tim Pawlenty unilaterally changed the administrative rules and barred the state from issuing driver’s licenses to immigrants who are undocumented and who have temporary status. For the past 20 years, impacted community members and a diverse coalition have worked to restore driver’s licenses for all Minnesotans regardless of immigration status.

“This is a major victory for all Minnesotans– especially those impacted who have been fighting and engaging others since day one,” said ILCM Executive Director Veena Iyer. “We are on the cusp of a restoring Driver’s Licenses for All, which will ensure that all Minnesotans once again can travel to work and school without fear.”

The bill, which is slightly different from the one passed by the House, must have the Minnesota House’s final approval before it can be signed into law by Governor Walz and driver’s licenses for all Minnesotans can be restored. A House vote is expected shortly, and the Governor has said he will sign the bill.

Join us at the Capitol! Driver’s Licenses for All Senate Vote

Tomorrow’s the day!  

Tomorrow, February 21 at approximately 5 p.m., the full Minnesota Senate will debate and vote on the Driver’s Licenses for All Bill (SF 27). The Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota (ILCM) joins other advocates, unions, community-based groups, law enforcement, and businesses in urging the Minnesota Senate to pass the bill.  

We urge everyone who supports Driver’s Licenses for All to contact your Minnesota Senator and ask for their support during the vote tomorrow and join us at the Minnesota State Capitol! 

On January 30, Driver’s Licenses for All passed the Minnesota House of Representatives with a 69-60 vote. Since then, it has been heard and passed by multiple Senate committees.  

The struggle for Driver’s Licenses for All has lasted two decades. In 2003, the governor unilaterally revoked the right of all Minnesotans – regardless of immigration status – to obtain a driver’s license so long as they passed the written test and obtained insurance. We are on the cusp of restoring that right.  

Join us at the Minnesota State Capitol tomorrow at 5 p.m.! 

Call your Minnesota Senator and urge them to support Driver’s Licenses for All (SF 27)! 

Currently, eighteen states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico allow residents to access driver’s licenses regardless of immigration status. Learn more about how those states have benefitted through ILCM’s Fact Sheet on Driver’s Licenses. 

Issuing licenses without proof of immigration status would not only benefit immigrants, but also those experiencing homelessness, the elderly, and other groups who may have difficulty obtaining hard-to-access documentation. 

Call your Minnesota Senator and urge them to support Driver’s Licenses for All!