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Despite New Jersey passing a law last June to allow undocumented immigrants to get driver’s licenses, the Motor Vehicle Commission says that won’t be possible until at least May 1. People without an identification number or letter from the Social Security Administration will be able to qualify for the licenses by signing an affidavit; the so-called standard licenses won’t be REAL ID compliant. Immigrant rights groups say the affidavit is essential for increasing participation among undocumented people who are afraid of interacting with the federal government. The licenses were supposed to be ready by Jan. 1 but were delayed due to the pandemic. 92.7 WOBM
In other local immigration news…
Report Exposes Trump Administration’s Failed Asylum Agreements
Incoming Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Bob Menendez (D-NJ) released a report Monday about the U.S. Asylum Cooperative Agreements with Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. The Trump administration made the agreements to send asylum seekers to these Central American countries to seek asylum there. Of the 945 asylum seekers sent to Guatemala in the past year, none of them were able to seek asylum; most didn’t even start an application. President-elect Joe Biden has promised to quickly undo the agreements that pressured Central American countries to stop immigration across the U.S.–Mexico border. The Washington Post
New Jersey Residents Ready for Biden’s Presidency
New Jersey residents are excited for President-elect Joe Biden to take office and some expressed their thoughts on what they expect to come from Biden’s term. Residents of Hudson County want to see an investment within poor communities, immigration reform, and a way to end the pandemic. Jennifer Castro, who has been focusing on the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, hopes detention centers on the U.S.-Mexico border will be reformed, and hopes for “a dent in immigration reform.” NJ.com
