Civil Rights Groups Urge DMV To Grant Immigrant Driver's Licenses

The North Carolina ACLU is urging the state DMV to continue issuing driver's licenses to some immigrants. 

The state's Department of Motor Vehicles has suspended its practice of granting licenses to immigrants allowed in the country under a federal policy, Immigrants registered under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals initiative are allowed to stay in the country if they meet certain guidelines such as having arrived in the country before age 16, graduating high school or attending college or serving in the military.

The DMV says it will not hand out licenses to these immigrants until the state Attorney General issues an opinion on the matter. The ACLU and the North Carolina Justice Center have written a letter to state attorney general Roy Cooper supporting licenses for young immigrants. The ACLU has filed lawsuits over similar restrictions in Michigan and Arizona.