What does question 4, the right to a driver’s license regardless of legal status, mean for Boston’s undocumented communities | Media Pyro

“They don’t have to worry, ‘If I get pulled over what will happen to my kids if I get arrested or I turn into ice?'”

This May, Massachusetts passed the Labor and Family Mobility Act, allows undocumented immigrants to obtain a driver’s license. This November, the same law supported by Massachusetts Democrats such as Attorney General Maura Healey and Governor Ayanna Presley, is threatened by a ballot initiative, Question 4, aimed at cancellation.

The law at the center of Question 4 would allow Massachusetts residents of any legal status to obtain a standard driver’s license beginning July 1, 2023, striking part of the law states that make undocumented immigrants ineligible for a license.

Sarang Sekhavat is the political director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy (MIRA) Coalition, part of the Driving Families Forward Coalition that advocates for the original law to be preserved. Sekhavat says opponents worry that if undocumented immigrants can get driver’s licenses, they will be able to vote. However, according to Sekhavat, there are benefits to undocumented immigrants getting a driver’s license, such as lower insurance rates and lower accident rates.

Undocumented immigrants seeking to obtain a driver’s license must submit documents similar to those required for a green card, such as passports, birth certificates, or any form of government identification.

“This takes one of the burdens out of people’s lives,” Sekhavat said. “They don’t have to worry, ‘If I get pulled over, what will happen to me? What will happen to my kids if I get arrested and put on ice?’ Things like that really affect people’s lives every day.”

Read more about Question 4 here.