The Division of Motor Vehicles office in Durango has begun offering its first driver’s license appointments to undocumented and temporary legal immigrants.

In 2013, the Colorado Legislature passed Senate Bill 251, which launched the statewide driver’s license program for immigrants. But the program has been backlogged. After new 2019 legislation, the Durango DMV and four others are now part of the state’s attempt to tackle the backlog.

“Colorado is helping to ensure that more families and individuals – particularly those living in rural areas – can access their workplaces safely and more easily, and take their kids to school,” wrote Marissa Molina, FWD.us Colorado state immigration manager, in a news release. FWD.us lobbied the Legislature in favor of the 2019 legislation.

The 2013 Colorado Road and Community Safety Act, SB 251, allowed immigrants to receive driver’s licenses if they could fulfill extensive paperwork requirements, pass written and driving tests, and provide proof of vehicle insurance.

In response to backlogged appointments and access issues, the state in 2019 authorized five rural licensing centers to accept SB 251 driver’s license applications.

In addition to Durango, Montrose, Glenwood Springs, Lamar and Pueblo can process the applications. In June, two more rural offices, Alamosa and Sterling, will start the program.

The expansion nearly doubles the number of available daily appointments, from 186 in 2019 to 428 by July.

“Prior to this law, you’d have to call on the hour, at the hour, 90 days in advance of the exact time you wanted an appointment because there would be a bunch of other people calling,” said Matt Karkut, director of Companeros, a Durango-based immigration advocacy organization. Companeros also lobbied in favor of the legislation.

Four of 56 licensing centers in the state processed first-time applicants and renewals from December 2017 to March 2019. Thousands of people vied for about 200 daily appointments at the centers – all located in urban centers, according to Westword.

The backlog heavily affected rural residents. Not only did they have to wait months for an appointment, but they also had to drive long distances and miss work to travel to an eligible DMV, Karkut said.

The Durango DMV did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday. It is unclear if the program would affect wait times or appointment availability at the center.

The act’s supporters say – regardless of political opinion – thousands of undocumented and temporary legal immigrants are already driving on the roads. The program’s testing and insurance requirements, however, would increase road safety and lower insurance premiums.

They argue the act had bipartisan support. Lawmakers from both parties sponsored the 2013 act and its expansion in 2019. The program also gained support from the ranching and agricultural industry.

However, not all ranchers support the program. Opponents, such as J. Paul Brown, an Ignacio rancher and former legislator, argue the legislation acknowledges and accepts the illegal entry of immigrants into the country.

“Two wrongs don’t make a right,” he said. “I don’t hire anybody that’s illegal, and I don’t think that anybody that is illegal should have a driver’s license.”

Some argue the program uses taxpayer money or the license gives undocumented or temporary legal immigrants additional rights.

The Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles said the program is funded by applicant fees – not taxpayer dollars. Also, the license cannot be used as identification for voting, boarding flights or entering federal buildings.

The license does give immigrants other benefits, in addition to understanding traffic laws, Karkut said. Possessing a driver’s license can affect everything from applying to schools or buying alcohol to receiving a property title transfer.

While immigrants benefit from having a legal driver’s license, they could find themselves vulnerable to federal law enforcement actions by signing up for a Colorado driver’s license.

“DMV information-sharing practices with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the state of Colorado are unclear,” Karkut said. In other states, he said, he has heard of “some troubling behaviors of ICE agents and immigration ... searching through pictures or personal information of people getting licenses.”

Currently, the Colorado DMV may provide information to federal law enforcement on a case-by-case basis, according to the Colorado Revised Statutes. The DMV values Coloradans’ right to privacy and does not grant wholesale information access. Federal agencies also must verify their request is for a specific case.

Overall, Karkut said the program benefits everyone. Immigration lobbyists see privacy as an important ongoing issue, and Colorado must take steps to prevent unnecessary federal intrusions into licensing databases.

“This program relies on the trust of immigrants,” Karkut said. “If they think that their information is not safe, they won’t sign up, and all the benefits of this law won’t be able to be implemented.”

smullane@durangoherald.com