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Drive safe bills gather protesters at Michigan Capitol

Immigrant rights activists rally for drivers licenses in Boston.
Chris Burrell/GBH
Immigrant rights activists rally for drivers licenses in Boston.

Protesters gathered at the Michigan State Capitol today [Wednesday] urging legislators to pass bills to guarantee access to a state ID or driver's license regardless of immigration status.

“What do we want? Licenses for all. When do we want them? Now!”

That’s Adonis Flores who led the crowd in chants. He is the organizing director for Michigan United, the group behind the protest.

“This is an issue of human dignity. This is an issue of identifying yourself. When everyone is able to get an ID, the police and law enforcement are better able to identify who is on the road.” said Flores.

Currently only immigrants who can prove they entered the U.S. legally and can work in the country are eligible for a driver’s license or ID in the state. Legislation to allow any Michigan resident to obtain these forms of identification was reintroduced in April.

As WKAR's Bilingual Latinx Stories Reporter, Michelle reports in both English and Spanish on stories affecting Michigan's Latinx community. Michelle is also the voice of WKAR's weekend news programs.