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Virginia will offer “driver privilege cards” to illegal immigrants, allowing them to drive legally – as long as they pay taxes, the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles announced.
“This change in Virginia law, authorized by the Virginia General Assembly, creates a driving credential for individuals who are non-U.S. citizens and cannot meet Virginia’s legal presence requirements, making them ineligible to receive a standard or REAL ID-compliant driver’s license in Virginia,” the DMV said in an announcement Tuesday.
The program starts on Jan. 2, 2021.
To obtain the driver’s card, applicants must either report income in the state or be claimed as a dependent on a recent tax return. They also can’t have suspended or revoked driving privileges in other states.
Welcome to Virginia sign on I-95 North leaving North Carolina and entering Virginia.
MORE THAN A MILLION ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS SCORED CALIFORNIA DRIVER'S LICENSES, STATE DMV ANNOUNCES
Driver privilege card holders are not eligible for a commercial driver’s license, according to the DMV website.
They also must provide two proofs of identity each from their own country of citizenship as well was proof of Virginia residency.
“We are pleased to offer this new credential to give thousands of tax-paying Virginians the opportunity to drive legally on our roadways, something they previously have not been able to do,” DMV Commissioner Richard D. Holcomb said in a statement. “Like applicants for any driving credential, driver privilege card applicants must prepare for their visit by gathering necessary documents and studying for all required testing.”
State legislators voted to approve the measure back in March.
“I cannot tell you all how important this is for about 300,000 people living in Virginia,” Alexandria Democratic state Sen. Scott Surovell told the Virginia Mercury at the time. “This bill is going to change people’s lives.”
The minimum age for a driver privilege card is 16 years and three months old – but there is a learner permit card available for applicants over 15 years and six months.
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Several other states now allow illegal immigrants to get similar driving privileges, including New York, New Jersey and California.
Proponents say they make the roads safer since illegal immigrants would just drive unlicensed without the incentive to obtain legal permission. Critics liken them to a reward for flouting immigration laws.
After New Jersey passed its law last year, Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf said such programs are dangerous, not just to public safety, but also to national security.
"It's very similar to what we see with sanctuary policies around the country that, again, are not protecting the communities and the law enforcement officers trying to do their job," he told "Fox & Friends."
"I would say that any time we reward illegal behavior, illegal activity, that's problematic for us," he continued. "And what we have seen, particularly on the border, is that encourages more populations, more individuals, to come here illegally, which puts a larger strain on DHS' capabilities to secure the border and the like."
Fox News' Julia Musto contributed to this report.
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