Jacob Vaughn
Audio By Carbonatix
In a crafty move this month, the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) changed vehicle registration and registration renewal policies in a move critics say directly harms immigrants living in the United States illegally, and potentially all motorists.
The San Antonio Express-News first reported that county tax offices received notice of the immediate change from the state department on Nov. 18.
“It’s going to be a big change,” Bexar County Tax Assessor-Collector Albert Uresti said to the Express-News. “There’s still a lot more information that needs to come out… it’s gonna be a learning curve.”
Previously, drivers could register or renew their registrations using licenses or passports that were up to 12 months expired. Now, an overnight change has skewed the system, and based on the existing waitlist for license renewal appointments at DMV offices across the state, Uresti is concerned.
“From everything we hear talking to people here, it takes about six months to get an appointment to get your driver’s license renewed,” he said. “So that’s going to be the other impact. … if you do not have a current driver’s license, you’re going to have to get it renewed.”
Current estimates
The seemingly overnight change comes on the heels of a social media campaign headed by North Texas Rep. Brian Harrison, who personally wrote to the governor about DMVs issuing registration to non-citizens.
“This is unacceptable,” Harrison wrote. “DMV’s policy of allowing illegals to register vehicles not only [incentivizes] illegal immigration but also endangers Texas drivers and causes vehicle insurance to skyrocket.”
But Monica Rodriguez, an Austin-based insurance specialist, told the Express-News that this change will create unnecessary burdens for a group of people who are already scared in the current climate.
“These people drive every day, and they need reliable transportation,” she said. “Now, with the possibility of being stopped for expired registration, that puts them at risk of being arrested.”
In order to maintain car insurance, a vehicle must be registered. So if predictions are correct, and the hurdles to register a car become too burdensome, the number of uninsured drivers will increase. According to the DMV’s website, an estimated 20% of Texas drivers are already uninsured.
The change comes as Texas lawmakers seek new administrative ways to continue cracking down on immigration. Earlier this year, the state announced it would no longer issue commercial driver’s licenses to DACA recipients, refugees and asylum seekers. These specialty licenses are needed for long-distance trucking, sanitation work or other heavy machine operating industries, whittling available jobs for many immigrants legally living in the United States.
The governor also announced that the state would implement English proficiency requirements for commercial licenses, to be enforced by the Department of Public Safety.
“Every commercial driver license operator on Texas roadways must be able to communicate clearly in English to ensure compliance with traffic laws, follow safety directions, and prevent accidents,” Abbott said in a press release. “Today, I am directing DPS to enact zero-tolerance enforcement of these federal safety regulations across the board—whether drivers are operating across state lines or only within Texas. This approach will keep Texans safe while keeping our economy moving.”
