Drivers License

How did NSM choose this campaign?

New Sanctuary Movement campaigns are chosen by our immigrant community members. In order to choose to organize driver’s licenses for all in Pennsylvania, members held a two-month “Listening Campaign” and held one-on-one conversations with 200 immigrants in Philadelphia. The results were strong: 59% of the 200 people we spoke with during the summer of 2014 chose to obtain a driver’s license as the most important issue to improve their lives.

NSM co-leads the statewide coalition, Driving PA Forward, which is on its way to winning driver’s licenses for all. Click below to visit the Driving PA Forward website for updated information about our path to victory.

DRIVER’S LICENSES FOR ALL IN PA

Together We Fight,
Together We WIN!

Why are driver’s license such a pressing need?

A gateway to other fundamental needs.

The right to mobility is a gateway to other fundamental needs — to work, education, health care, accessible housing, etc.

Directly decreases people’s vulnerability to deportation:

Traffic stops, often made because of racial profiling, are among the most common introductions into the detention and deportation machine in our country.

Economic access is contingent on mobility.

Beyond the need to be able to access better jobs and work sufficient hours, the economic well being of immigrant families is further periled when parents have difficulty transporting their children to and from school and face difficulty finding affordable housing close enough to their jobs.

Dignity and mental well being.

Freedom of Movement is established in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a basic human need. Every facet of life becomes an obstacle when one is unable to securely transport themselves and their loved ones. The daily fear immigrants face when getting behind the wheel has a toll on their mental health of them and their families and detracts energy that could otherwise be used to strengthen and spread community. Obtaining driver’s licenses for all is a required step in strengthening immigrant leadership and participation in other justice movements.

Ready to learn more? Check out The Key to Safety and Security in Pennsylvania by The Sheller Center for Social Justice at Temple University Law.

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About this Campaign

We are fighting for unmarked driver’s licenses, meaning a driver’s license that looks the same as Pennsylvania citizens.

TAKE ACTION!

NSM is one of the lead organizations in the statewide coalition Driving PA Forward. Together with the coalition, we build a statewide strategy that includes education to the general community, legislators, and supporters.

Campaign Endorsements

We seek organizations, unions, businesses, religious institutions, and public officials to publicly endorse the campaign for unmarked driver’s licenses for undocumented Pennsylvanians.

PA Driver Licensing Laws

We are fighting for unmarked driver’s licenses, meaning a driver’s license that looks the same as Pennsylvania citizens.

Driver’s Licenses Committee!