Workers Center organizers at a rally for universal drivers licenses

Support Licenses for All!

After many years of fighting for driver’s licenses for all, in June 2022 we finally won this right. This victory the result of widespread community support, and collaborative organizing lead by Driving Families Forward, a coalition of organizations across the state. Since July 2023, all qualified state residents can apply for a standard Massachusetts driver’s license, regardless of immigration status.

We have been working hard throughout the Connecticut River Valley from Springfield to Great Falls on helping to implement the new law so our community can access driver's licenses in collaboration with organizational partners Pioneer Valley Project and ACLU MA. Throughout 2023 and 2024 we have worked on information sessions, permit test study groups, road test sponsorship, translation of documents and everything in between to help our members successfully complete the process to become licensed drivers in MA. We have helped orient over 400 people in this process.

How can I help?

Be in solidarity with undocumented community members by volunteering as a Road Test Sponsor or by learning to translate documents required in the MA License application process. Click below to fill out our volunteer interest form!

Get Involved!

Volunteer

“Having a driver’s license is really important, because, in this country you truly need to drive. Every parent has to work to put bread on the table for their children, and often their work is far away from home.”

- Marcelino, Immigrant/PVWC member

“I received a call from a friend who’s husband was stopped by police on the highway. I was on the phone with her when I heard the officer saying that they will arrest him and I heard their children’s voices, they were crying.

- Hodaliz, Immigrant/PVWC organizer

[My life] has changed a lot [since getting a license]. My wife and I would get nervous, afraid of getting our car taken away and spending a ton of money to get it back and pay the fines. That’s a fear everyone in my community has felt while driving.

- Marcelino, Immigrant/Activist

These Businesses Support Immigrants' Right to Drive

Active Life

Emily Foxtrot

Hampshire Bicycle Exchange

Laughing Dog Bicycles

Riverside Fitness

Shaolin Kung Fu Center

Yoga Sanctuary

Agriculture

Astarte Farm

Atlas Farm

Crooked Lawn Farm

Dargoonian Farm

Foxtrot Farm

Growing A Bunch Farm

Hayward Cranberries

Hickory Dell Farm

Many Hands Farm Corp

Mountain View Farm

Park Hill Orchard

Pleasant Valley Gardens

Ride Fire Farm North, Montague

Riverland Farm

Sawmill Herb Farm

Simple Gifts Farm

Winter Moon Roots Farm

Arts & Entertainment

Codo Experiment

Drawn to Ecology

Grapefruit

Janna Ugone & Co.

Oops! An Art Experience

Rhys May Jewelry

Rust Temple

Survivor Arts Collective

Wanderlust Tattoo

Winning Writers

Automotive

Absolute Motors

C&H Auto Sales dba Champion Auto Deals

Cheryl's Automotive

D&B Auto Sales

KLM Auto Repair

Pelham Industrial Group Ltd.

Beauty & Spa

Barber 4 Life

Chameleons Salon

Cheap Thrills

Global Cuts, Amherst

Herbarium

Kim Lee Nails

Plush Beauty Studio Inc

Skin & Lashes By Yasmine

Health & Medical

Botanica Fizzy Apothecary

CLINIC Alternative Medicines

Community Accupunture, Greenfield

Cooley Dickenson Hospital

Karen Levine Acupuncture

Network Chiropratic, Greenfield

Northampton Vision Specialists

Vision Works

Education

International Language Institute of Massachusetts

Financial Services

Pantoja Tax Service

Home Services

Amherst Eco Laundry

Cutting Edge Green Cleaning

Hyperion Systems

Wright Builders

Hotel & Travel

Elm Street Inn

Local Services

Copy Cat

Hampshire Property Management Group

Laptop & Computer Repair, Inc.

Tech Networks of Boston

Nightlife

Abandoned Building Brewery

Hawks and Reed, Greenfield

Majestic Saloon

The Monkey Bar

Non-Profit

Community Involved in Sustainable Agriculture

Solidago

Pets

Riverbend Animal Hospital

Professional Services

Accurate Writing & More

Collective Copies

Corliss Law

Going Beyond Sustainability

House of Mirth Photos

Ink and Toner Solutions Inc

Paradise Copies-Northampton

RC Communications

Seth Gregory Design

Whalen Insurance

William P. McDonald, Esq.

Restaurants & Food Service

Absolute Zero

Backyard Bread

Bela

Belly of the Beast

Bethania Market

Betty Grocery & Restaurant

Bistro 63

Blue Heron Restaurant & Catering

Captain Candy

Caravan Kitchen

Cornicopia

Courtyard Cafe

Cushman Market

Elbow Room Coffee

Florence Pie Bar

Food City, Turners Falls

Fresh Side

GoBerry

Hazel's Kitchen

Henion Bakery

Honey & Wine

Hungry Ghost

Ice Cream Alley, Greenfield

Iconica

Indigo Coffee Roasters

Lady Killigrew

Local Burger

Restaurants & Food Service

Luthiers Coop

Mamou

Noodles

Osaka Japanese Inc

Pasta e Basta

Pita Pockets

River Valley Co-op

Sibies Pizza, Amherst

Small Oven

Spices of Asia

Sutter Meats

Sweet Ideas Cafe

The Black Sheep

The People's Pint

The Roost

Thirsty Mind

Uya

Wheelhouse Farm

Woodstar Cafe

Shopping

A.J. Hastings

All-Star Fashion

Amherst Books

Artisan Gallery, Northampton

Booklink

Brits-R-U.S.

Broadside Bookshop

Coamo Fashion

Comics-N-More

Glimpse of Tibet

High Five Books

Inspirit Crystals

Jackson & Connor

L&A Fine Men's Shop

Le Bonnton LLC

Mill River Music and Guitar

Odyssey Bookshop South Hadley

Oh My

Paul's Shoe Repair

Raven Used Books

Rooted Living

Roz's Place

Tall Dog Electronics

The Old Book Store

The Toy Box

Unnameable Books

Sign-on as a Supporting Business

“As President and CEO of Cooley Dickinson Health Care, I am particularly focused on the importance of this act to improving the health of our communities. In western Massachusetts and other rural areas, transportation is often cited by our communities as one of the barriers to accessing healthcare.”

- Joanne Marqusee, President/CEO Cooley Dickinson Health Care

“As a community-owned grocery store, engaged in supporting social justice and the ongoing development of the local food movement, it is important for River Valley Co-op to support this bill as a step in supporting the wellbeing, safety, and human rights of our immigrant community members.”

- Mark Devlin & Natasha Latour, River Valley Co-Op Grocery Store

“As farmers it’s not so easy. We depend on the weather and yes we depend on our labor force... We are the farmers that feed you. And you need to help the farmworkers that feed us as well. ”

- Michael Docter, Farmer

Why is this issue so important?

Driving is Essential

Immigrants live in our society, and our society makes driving a necessity
Over 76 percent of Americans drive alone to work every day, while another 9 percent carpool with someone else (2016 American Community Survey Data). In addition to working, people need vehicles to drive themselves or their loved ones to places like the hospital, the supermarket, or school.
Outside of the Greater Boston area, public transit in Massachusetts is limited and people need to drive to run the most basic errands. Usually, the most walkable areas are also the most expensive to live in and inaccessible to most working class people. For many residents of Western Massachusetts, schools, grocery stores, hospitals, and job sites can be miles apart in different towns.

Maintain our Economic Fabric

Hundreds of thousands of immigrants live and work in the state of Massachusetts. Their children attend our public schools. Many of them work in fields such as food service, agriculture, waste management, and other services necessary to keep our towns running. Immigrants are essential parts of our economy. If it weren’t for immigrants, there would be a shortage of workers in many Massachusetts sectors, especially in the technology, hotel, restaurant and agricultural sectors.
Along with giving the ability to drive without fear, having a driver’s license contributes to someone’s upward mobility. There are many jobs that require driver’s licenses as a requirement. Also, workers don’t have to be limited to job opportunities bound to a specific bus line or stuck with an employer that provides them with transportation accommodations but might not respect their labor rights. A driver’s license opens up doors for workers, giving them freedom to choose the job they want.

Prevent harmful deportations

If an undocumented immigrant is pulled over by state or local police and asked for identification, they can be arrested for driving without a license, discovered by ICE and Border Patrol, and then deported. According to the Fiscal Year 2018 Enforcement and Removal Operations Report (ERO), traffic offenses such as driving without a license were among the most common causes for ERO administrative arrests.
In recent years, there has been an increase in reports of traffic stops in which drivers and passengers have been taken into ICE custody.

Identification is Essential

All people deserve the right to participate in public life. Driver’s licenses serve as an essential form of identification when interacting with the state, including the police during traffic violations.
Additionally, licenses serve as a default form of identification when performing a range of activities, such as purchasing alcohol, cashing a check, opening up a bank account, obtaining services for your home such as cable, getting medical treatment at Urgent Care, and enrolling children in public school. “Driver’s licenses can serve as a form of identification that allows immigrant families to live more visibly in society with greater access to financial institutions, medical care, and other basic services. For the undocumented, “a driver’s license is not only a driver’s license, it’s proof that you exist.” - Catholic Legal Immigration Network

Increase Public Safety

Unlicensed drivers do not currently receive road safety training or testing. Granting licenses to all Massachusetts drivers would ensure that all drivers were tested for vision and competence, and also increase the number of insured drivers, making roads safer for everyone. States that have expanded access to driver’s licenses such as California have seen a reduction in hit-and-runs and in the percentage of uninsured drivers.
By licensing all drivers in the state, the police can focus their resources on public safety as opposed to immigration, reducing the amount of investigative traffic stops based on a driver’s race or suspected legal status.
This bill would improve public safety by improving the relationship between immigrants and police. Immigrants are less likely to report crimes to the police and immigrant crime survivors are less likely to cooperate with police in investigations. According to law enforcement officials, this situation has made crimes harder to investigate. For undocumented immigrants, having a license means having an extra layer of protection against deportation, making them less afraid of interactions with police.
“In general, increasing access to driver’s licenses can help facilitate a more trusting relationship between law enforcement and immigrant communities. These communities would be more likely to come forward as victims and witnesses of crimes because they have licenses to identify themselves.” - Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center

Driving is a Necessity

Fourteen other states have already expanded access to driver’s licenses. Over 70% of Americans drive to work everyday. People need to drive to the hospital, to school, to buy food--to get most places they need to go.

Privacy Protections

This new act includes privacy protections to prevent ICE from obtaining personal information of undocumented drivers.

Security Concerns

This act does not interfere with Federal Real-ID Laws, which require that state-issued driver’s licenses meet certain requirements if used as identification for domestic flights or entering federal buildings. Massachusetts already has two tiers of drivers licenses: one standard and one Real-ID compliant. Standard licenses state “Not for Federal ID”. Undocumented immigrants are only able to apply for Standard licenses.

Why is this an immigration and labor issue?

Driving without a license gets many people deported each year. It might not be a flashy phenomenon like a workplace raid, but it is a major source of anxiety and danger for many immigrants living in our communities.