TOLEDO, OHIO: Ohio is warning several hundred immigrants that they will lose their commercial driver’s licenses if they can’t show proof of U.S. citizenship or permanent resident status.
The state said the move is being made to comply with federal regulations over the licenses that allow drivers to operate cargo trucks, buses and tractor-trailers.
Ohio’s Bureau of Motor Vehicles sent letters last month to 560 immigrants, giving them 30 days to show documentation, request an appeals hearing or give up their commercial license.
Shafi Shafat, 36, an immigrant from Somalia who now lives in Columbus, received notice a few weeks ago saying he could lose his license. He said he has pleaded with immigration officials to speed up a decision on his 2015 application for permanent residency.
“I told them I’m losing my license because of them,” Shafat said. “I’m going to lose my license, I’m going to lose everything. That means I can’t feed my family. It’s a very stressful situation.”
Immigrant rights groups contend it’s unfair for the state to take away the commercial licenses of people who had been told they complied with the law when they received their license.
They’re also worried that people who’ve lost their green card or are waiting for approval won’t be able to keep their commercial license because of delays in the system.
Jennifer Nimer, legal director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations office in Ohio, said the state should only require the documentation going forward. A handful of states have backed off on similar plans to retroactively strip the licenses, she said.
Requiring a green card for a commercial license doesn’t make anyone safer, Nimer said.
“It costs quite a bit of money to get a license,” she said, adding that pulling them will take away one way “people without many other options” make a living.
Her office has been in touch with more than 35 people within the past week who are worried they may lose their license and their ability to work.
The federal government put in place the citizenship and permanent residence requirements in 2012, but it wasn’t until three years later that states were told to verify the information, said Kristen Castle, a spokeswoman for the state motor vehicles office.
Shafat said he began operating a tractor-trailer two years ago after graduating from driving school. He also said he never was asked about his green card when he received his commercial license from the state.
Many immigrants have found work in the trucking industry.