The future of legally permitting undocumented immigrants to drive in Delaware may hinge on fingerprints.
During a task force meeting concerning the issue Wednesday, law enforcement officials say they need to have applicants register their fingerprints with the Division of Motor Vehicles to crosscheck that information with criminal databases before issuing driving privilege cards.
Georgetown Police Chief Bill Topping sits on the task force and says he couldn’t support recommendations to the legislature omitting that language.
“If you decrease the requirements to obtain this license, if you make it easier and easier, then the document has no validity for us,” said Topping. “It has no veracity.”
That’s a sticking point with the Hispanic community, which says it’ll have a chilling effect on those who may think the information will be shared with federal immigration agents.
“The fear is real,” said Claudia Porretti, executive director of La Esperanza, a Sussex County immigration nonprofit.
That sentiment echoed around the table during the three-hour meeting, including those pointing out citizens don’t get fingerprinted for driver’s licenses.
Looking for a way to alleviate those fears, a so-called “trust act” could find its way into the final report.
“Whether it’s a bill or a resolution, it’s essentially a promise that in the State of Delaware, we as a state, we as a community intend for this information to be used in a certain way,” said Sen. Bryan Townsend (D-Newark) who chairs the task force.
“We really discourage, or try the best we can to outright prohibit the use of that information in other ways.”
That doesn’t mean Townsend doesn’t support including fingerprinting requirements, though.
“It’s the national trend. I think it definitely helps prevent fraud in the application to make sure that one person can only apply for one card,” he said.
As he’s stated since forming the task force in January, Townsend says education and outreach efforts will be key.
But Topping says that may only work on a subset of the community, calling it a “fluid situation” as immigrants filter in and out of the area.
Several other requirements to obtain a driving privilege card have to be fleshed out – including insurance requirements – as the group finalizes its report later this month.
