By Daniel González | The Arizona Republic
A federal judge on Friday called into question the legal basis for Gov. Jan Brewer’s decision to deny driver’s licenses to young undocumented immigrants who receive deferred action from deportation under President Barack Obama’s 6-month old policy while allowing non-citizens who receive other forms of deferred action to get driver’s licenses.
U.S. District Judge David Campbell told lawyers representing Brewer and the state Department of Transportation that
evidence submitted by the state showed that Arizona had granted driver’s licenses to more than 500 non-citizens who presented the same kinds of federal work permits that young undocumented immigrants receive through Obama’s policy.
“What you are saying is that some people who get deferred action have lawful presence and others who get deferred action don’t. What is the basis for that?” Campbell asked during a court hearing in Phoenix.
The question of whether undocumented immigrants who receive deferred action from deportation through Obama’s program have legal presence in the U.S. is at the center of a federal lawsuit filed by civil-rights groups seeking to overturn Brewer’s Aug. 15 executive order denying driver’s licenses to the undocumented immigrants.
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If you’d like to discuss immigration matters, Brian Bergin, bbergin@roselawgroup.com
