Luis Ruelas was all smiles with his sister Lesly at the Motor Vehicle Division office on Tucsonâs south side as they waited with others to fill out driverâs license applications.
Judging from his high-fives with others in line and his cheerful mood, some might have thought heâd already passed the driverâs license test.
He hadnât. But there were reasons for Ruelas to be excited.
Monday marked the first day that young immigrants protected from deportation under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program could apply for driverâs licenses in Arizona, where Gov. Jan Brewer has laid out several efforts to ban it.
The U.S. Supreme Court last week denied Brewerâs request to issue a stay on a ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that the state acted unconstitutionally in barring DACA recipients from getting driverâs licenses. The high courtâs approval would have allowed her to continue denying âdreamersâ licenses to drive.
Luis, 24, and Lesly Ruelas, 17, who said they were brought to the United States at ages 8 and 1 from Sinaloa, Mexico, were among the first dreamers in Tucson to apply Monday.
âFor me, I feel accomplished,â Luis Ruelas said. Other states have legalized marijuana, but Arizona has taken too long to deny driverâs licenses to young people who have been authorized to work, he added.
Several other young dreamers waited in line and in the lobby of the MVD office on South Broadmont Drive for their numbers to be called.
Oneida Corrales, 21, and Alvaro Rodriguez, 20, were among those waiting in the lobby.
For many young immigrants, being able to get a driverâs license means they can drive legally and without fear, they said.
Many undocumented immigrants have to drive without licenses to get to work or school or do anything in their daily lives, said Rodriguez, who said he was brought to the United States from Agua Prieta, Sonora, when he was in third grade.
But driving without a license puts the dreamers at constant risk of deportation.
âYou gotta always be careful,â Rodriguez said, adding many take the risk because itâs unavoidable.
Now, with the chance to get a driverâs license, Rodriguez said he would be able to drive legally. Of course, that would require passing the driving test, which Rodriguez was confident he could do.
Arizona Department of Transportation spokesman Ryan Harding said MVD offices were âa little bit busier than normalâ Monday.
About 22,000 DACA recipients are eligible to apply for driverâs licenses in Arizona.
âBut weâve been able to manage,â Harding added.
