During last Friday's gubernatorial debate broadcast by Telemundo and geared towards a Spanish-speaking audience, Charlie Crist reiterated that he supports providing the children of undocumented immigrants the ability to obtain temporary Florida drivers licenses, which he says will make it easier for them to find a job, attend school, or go to work. Currently, at least 10 other states have passed laws allowing undocumented immigrants to get drivers licenses, but Governor Rick Scott vetoed a version of such a law last year, despite the fact that it passed overwhelmingly in both houses of the Legislature.
That measure wouldn't grant all undocumented immigrants the opportunity to get a temporary license, however, only those young people covered by President Barack Obama's 2012 policy affecting non-citizens brought to the U.S. illegally as children, which suspended any deportation action against them for a two-year period.
Though any type of law would need to be approved by the legislature and signed by the governor, the Latino advocacy group Reinces en Tampa have been targeting the Tampa City Council to back a much more comprehensive measure, and will formally go before the board to ask them do so at their weekly Thursday meeting.
Over the past year the activist group has held demonstrations fighting for this cause, and they say they've been able to meet with every member of the City Council to lobby for their initiative, with the exception of Mary Mulhern.
"It's gone extremely well, actually," says Marisol Marquez with Reinces en Tampa. She says the only board member who has flatly said he won't support an endorsement is Council Chair Charlie Miranda, because he doesn't believe the council has the power to do so.
Marquez is very aware that Tallahassee is where any such legislation must be formally debated and approved, but she says that other activist groups in states that have passed such laws originally targeted their city councils to build up grassroots momentum, citing how Chicago led the way for Illinois Governor Pat Quinn to sign Illinois' version of such a law.
In 2012 President Obama signed the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) executive order, which temporarily delayed the deportation of young adults illegally brought to this country as children as long as they met age, education and residency requirements. The legislation that Scott vetoed would have only allowed those people in Florida who have signed up for DACA to be eligible for drivers licenses. But Reinces en Tampa says they would like a bill that has nothing to do with DACA. "As it stands now, those who do have DACA can have a drivers license anyway," says Marquez. "We want it to be for anyone, anywhere, without an age limitation."
Florida allows undocumented immigrants to get a driver's license if they obtain a federal employment card, which is now available to those given deferred status.
Thursday's City Council meeting takes place at 9 a.m. at City Hall in Tampa.
