Drivers License Support

Our Fight for Licenses For All!

After many years of fighting for driver’s licenses for all, we finally won this right in November 2022 by passing the Work and Family Mobility Act. This victory was the result of widespread community organizing led by grassroots organizations and the Driving Families Forward Coalition. 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 at Pioneer Valley Project and ACLU MA, we have provided information sessions, permit test study groups, road test sponsorship, translation of documents and everything in between to help our members successfully become licensed drivers in MA. Since implementation started in 2023, we have helped orient over 600 people in this process. As a committee we know a driver’s license is an essential layer of protection from detention and family separation and we continue to prioritize Licenses for All in 2025.

How Can I Help?

Be in solidarity with immigrant community members by volunteering as a Road Test Sponsor. Click below to fill out our volunteer interest form!

“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

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

“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 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.