Court Blocks Arizona Ban On Driver's Licenses For Young Immigrants

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PHOENIX — The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals  has blocked Governor Jan Brewer’s policy of denying driver’s licenses to young immigrants who are protected from deportation under an Obama administration policy.

According to Fox Latino News, the ruling marks one step forward for immigrant rights advocates who argued the young immigrants were harmed by unequal treatment by the state. 

The appeals court agreed that immigrants would be harmed by the state’s denial of driver’s licenses.

In August 2012, Brewer issued an executive order to state agencies to deny driver’s licenses and other public benefits to young immigrants who get work authorization under the program.

The lawsuit  concluded that the state has, because of this order, classified young immigrants as not having permission to be in the country and that Brewer’s policy is unconstitutional.

The governor’s attorneys said the driver’s license policy grew out of concerns over the liability of giving licenses to people who aren’t authorized to be in the country and reducing the risk of licenses being used to improperly access public benefits.