Tagged: Immigration

State DOT officials will issue redesigned driver's licenses later this year that will visually distinguish citizens from non-citizens.   Immigrants here under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program will notice their licenses will have the words "No Lawful Status" printed on them.  State DOT spokeswoman Greer Beaty says those words will be in a bar across the top that will differ from the blue on a normal license.

Senators from both sides of the political aisle have come to a compromise on federal immigration reform.  North Carolina Senator Kay Hagan is welcoming an immigration proposal from a group of eight of her colleagues. Their proposal seeks to revamp the system that allows immigrants into the country as well as create a citizenship pathway for the millions of immigrants currently in the country illegally. 

The Latino immigrant population faces a host of unique problems when it comes to mental health treatment. Migration trauma and separation issues are just a few of their struggles. The population in North Carolina is underserved, which is why a group of mental health professionals formed the group El Futuro. The group serves the mental health needs of the state’s Latino population, and it is hosting a conference this Friday on the topic. Host Frank Stasio talks about Latino mental health with Luke Smith, executive director of El Futuro; and Karla Siu, clinical manager at El Futuro.

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.

Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act allows United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement to partner with state and local police. Those officers are allowed to enforce federal immigration law. Critics say that the program leads to racial profiling of minorities and makes immigrants fearful of reporting crime in their own communities.