Driver's License Curtailed as Identification - Critics Call 'Real ID' Issue Anti-Immigrant

• Hispanics object to Utah replacing driver's licenses of undocumented workers with driving privilege cards.

In the two years since she got her Utah driver's license, Guadalupe Camarillo notes with obvious pride, she has had no accidents, no moving violations and no parking tickets. "I drive so careful, I've never even been stopped," she beams. But Camarillo is about to lose her license. The cleaning woman from Michoacan, Mexico, is among tens of thousands of illegal immigrants whose licenses will be voided under a state law that took effect March 8. A precursor to the "Real ID Act" pending in the U.S. Senate, the Utah law gives undocumented workers such as Camarillo "driving privilege cards" instead of licenses. The document authorizes driving but declares in bold red letters that it cannot be used as legal identification. Many Hispanics, including U.S. citizens, are outraged by the change. "You work hard, you pay the same taxes as anybody else, but the state legislature brands you as second-rate," noted veteran activist John Florez of Salt Lake City. "I'm sorry to say it, but the real point here is racism." Hispanics object to Utah replacing driver's licenses of undocumented workers with driving privilege cards. [more]