(LtoR) Asw. Yvonne Lopez 19th District, Asw. Annettee Quijano 20th District, Perth Amboy Mayor Wilda Diaz, Maplewood Township Mayor Victor DeLuca, Roselle Borough Mayor Christine Danseareau, Hopewell Borough Mayor Paul Anzano, Morristown Township Mayor Timothy Dougherty, Dover Township Mayor James Dodd
PERTH AMBOY – Johanna Calle (Director of the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice) was Master of Ceremonies at a Roundtable Discussion hosted by Perth Amboy Mayor Wilda Diaz at the Brighton Avenue Community Center on Thursday, July 19, 2018.
Besides Mayor Diaz, the panel included: Hopewell Borough Mayor Paul Anzano; Morristown Township Mayor Timothy Dougherty; Dover Township Mayor James Dodd; Maplewood Township Mayor Victor DeLuca; Roselle Borough Mayor Christine Danseareau; Assemblywoman Yvonne Lopez, 19th District; Assemblywoman Annettee Quijano, 20th District; and New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice.
All the above Mayors have Municipal ID Programs in their towns.
Mayor Wilda Diaz stated, “Immigration has been a topic for a long time. This (Undocumented Immigrants) is a very marginalized group.” She thanked the 19th Legislative Team, especially Senator Joe Vitale for Assembly Bill 1738. “This law is important for every citizen in New Jersey.”
Middlesex County College Students pose with the panelists.
Assembly Bill 1738. NJ Safe and Responsible Driver Act to give qualified drivers regardless of your immigration status a way to obtain a driver’s license. Certain documentation is required, but they emphasize that once you receive this license, it will indicate what it can and cannot be used for.
Assemblywoman Annettee Quijano spoke next, “Two weeks ago, the sponsors and the Assembly came up to speed to discuss this bill. California already has this in place (giving driver licenses to undocumented residents). So far, they’ve had 1 million undocumented drivers sign up. Anyone eligible to drive should be able to. If this bill is signed, it will identify you as a resident of New Jersey. This way, you can be insured and registered. This will increase New Jersey’s economics. People will have a license and be able to buy an automobile and of course the automobile will need repairs, tires. It will bring increase revenue for tolls and gas. We don’t do press conferences. Senator Vitale has been a great partner in the Senate. We’re meeting with the sponsors of the bill. We’re trying to make sure we’re protecting people’s identity.”
MC Director of the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice Johanna Calle
*Photos by K. Massopust
Assemblywoman Yvonne Lopez spoke briefly. She praised Assemblywoman Annette Quijano for her leadership, vision, and foresight. “Perth Amboy has always been in the forefront for immigration rights.”
Roselle Borough Mayor Christine Danseareau talked about how this bill will help the residents. There is an increasingly number of diverse people in my community. Many people are riding bikes to work in all types of weather. We started with the Municipal ID Program first. I agree with the legislators. This bill will be great for the economy and quality of life. Right now, the residents are limited to where they can go to work and the work that is local is limited.”
Dover Township Mayor James Dodd said, “Because we are a small town, transportation is lacking. We never had busing for our children and parents are forced to send their kids to school by taxi. This bill is a great idea.”
Morristown Township Mayor Timothy Dougherty stated, “This bill is bipartisan and will be an economic driver. 34% of the residents are Latino. This will take the burden off of drivers using fake ID’s.”
Maplewood Township Mayor Victor DeLuca said, “Everybody should be treated fairly. We look at this as a zip code. They deserve respect and a high quality of life. This is about social economic, and justice. Without a driver’s license, you can’t maximize your earning potential. I’ve been working with other mayors and legislatures.”
Mayor Diaz spoke again and said, “Since the Municipal ID Cards have been implemented in Perth Amboy, over 5000 Municipal ID Cards have been issued our residents. The population of Perth Amboy is a little over 50,000 with 85% of the residents being Latino. This will help build up our community and will be an economic engine for our City. They will shop and dine in our community and not be underground.”
Roselle Borough Mayor Christine Danseareau said, “In my community, the largest group have been Latinos, but there are many also from Haiti and Guyana. With they were issued ID’s, out came pure ecstatic joy. We were now embracing them. We opened up an office of Hispanic Affairs. These residents are now becoming more civically involved.”
Maplewood Township Mayor Victor DeLuca said, “Since issuing the Municipal ID’s, the kids in town were able to sign up for a lot of recreational programs. This form of documentation (drivers licenses) will be a stepping stone for our country. Inclusiveness makes us whole.”
Mayor Diaz then spoke, “We reached out to churches, businesses, and civic organizations. We also provide citizenship classes. A lot of our small business owners are immigrants. Latinos helped to build up the City. We have a dreamer who works for the City. We need to help New Jersey prosper.”
Johanna Calle said, “The licenses will help everyone in New Jersey.”
Some of the comments made by the mayors were, “The people who have driver’s licenses will help stop predatory employers from exploiting them. Our insurance rates are high because of drivers without insurance.”
Assemblywoman Annettee Quijano said, “It’s important to hear how this impacts your particular communities. I’m meeting with different consulates to discuss this issue. I have full faith in our Governor. Once we get this bill passed, they’ll probably have an increase in DMV workers in order to handle the applications. We should also be accepting of the LGBTIQ community. On the license, they can identify themselves to the gender they identify with.”
One of the questions asked by the press was, “What kind of provisions are there in the law that protect the immigrants?”
Quijano responded, “We’ll look at California and their law. There’s a manual and handbook that sets guidelines on what they can or cannot do. This license cannot be used for identification purposes to get federal benefits.”
Another questions pertained as to whether their driver’s licenses will look like regular driver’s licenses.
Quijano answered “If presented to someone in law enforcement, it will be coded and will identify the individual as not having a regular driver’s license.”
Mayor Diaz then added, “For Municipal ID’s, we don’t make any copies of the identification material presented to us from the applicants. It just says where you reside.”
