Hundreds Gather At Capitol To Support Driver's Licenses For All

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Several hundred people were at the Minnesota State Capitol Thursday to urge lawmakers to pass a bill that would provide driver's licenses to undocumented workers.

Twelve states and the District of Columbia currently allow undocumented workers to get a driver's license.

Among those advocating for the change were the Minneapolis and St. Paul police departments, House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler and Archbishop Bernard Hebda, leader of the Twin Cities Catholic Archdiocese.

"I hope today that we as Minnesotans follow the most common biblical and moral exhortation to welcome the stranger, and remember that our families too were once strangers in this land, who arrived with the same hope that our undocumented community has today," Hebda said.

Before 2002, Minnesota allowed those who were not in the U.S. legally to get a driver's license.

Supporters of the measure argue this would encourage undocumented workers to get driver's education training and improve driver safety in both rural and urban areas.