"One City, One License" Say Activists

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)A mother who couldn't take her her ill child to the hospital. A young woman who struggles to find and hold a job because of transportation issues. Story after heart-rending story at last Thursday's DC City Council hearing illustrated the case for expanding access to driver’s licenses for undocumented DC residents. Many of the immigration rights, community and labor activists who crowded into the hearing room to show their support were moved to tears by the testimonies of area workers and residents. Virtually all insisted that the Gray administration's proposal falls short by calling for licenses marked “not valid for federal purposes”.  “This will create a two-tier system that will open the door for discrimination” testified Metro Council President Jos Williams.  “The lack of any kind of identification leaves some immigrant workers open to exploitation by unscrupulous employers who see them as vulnerable workers and often steal their hard earned wages.  We are one city and we need one standard license.”