Advocates embark on 300-mile NJ walk supporting licenses for undocumented immigrants

NEW BRUNSWICK — About a dozen immigrant advocates embarked on a 300-mile walk across New Jersey on Friday to generate support for legislation that would let people who are living in the country without authorization apply for and receive state driver's licenses.

"The Pilgrimage," as organizers are calling the walk, began in New Brunswick and is expected to end in Trenton on June 11, with stops in Jersey City, Union City and North Bergen next week. It is organized by Movimiento Cosecha, which translates to "the Harvest Movement," a national immigrant rights coalition that has organized several protests in the state and elsewhere across the country to draw attention to the plight of undocumented immigrants. Several members of Movimiento Cosecha have lived in or have ties to the state.

"This is not easy but not impossible,'' said Carlos Castañeda, a community organizer for the group at a launch event that was held outside St. Joseph's Catholic Church in New Brunswick on Thursday evening. "Especially when we put in our hearts the faces of everyone here, and our children, that motivates us to keep walking — more than 300 miles if we have to."

The walk is in support of the New Jersey Safe and Responsible Driver Act, which was reintroduced this year by Assemblywoman Annette Quijano, D-Union. It would extend driving privileges to people who are living in the country illegally, as well as to the homeless, veterans and other populations that may have trouble meeting the requirements of the state Motor Vehicle Commission's Six-Point ID verification program to obtain a New Jersey driver’s license.  

Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, has said he would support such a measure, Last month, he said the legislation is moving along.

Quijano said recently that the legislation is being updated to address concerns about residency requirements and the potential for fraud. She said one goal is to avoid lapses that have led some states, such as Maryland, to issue licenses to undocumented people who do not actually live there.

"We know nothing that we have achieved is free, and we have to fight to get driver's licenses,'' said Carlos Rojas Rodriguez, one of the walkers. "We have waited through four Democrat governors and a Republican and we still don't have licenses."

If New Jersey allows immigrants without legal status to drive, it would become the 13th state to do so. A study by New Jersey Policy Perspective, a left-leaning think tank, found that the proposal could benefit about 466,000 undocumented immigrants in the state, and that half of those who are eligible would receive a license within three years.

Proponents of the bill say it will make New Jersey's roads safer by requiring newly licensed drivers to be tested, trained and insured, and that it would help the state’s economy because the number of customers who could purchase automobiles and car insurance would grow. 

But critics argue that giving licenses to undocumented immigrants rewards lawbreakers and leads to fraud and security concerns.

More:Renewed pressure on Murphy to give undocumented immigrants access to NJ driver's licenses

More:Driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants in New Jersey part of new advocacy campaign

Statewide walk

Rojas Rodriguez was among 13 participants who set off on the walk on Friday. He said the group was expected to grow to 15 at times over the weekend as some people join for short periods.

The group made its first stop at the First Reformed Church of Highland Park, where walkers ate vegetables, salads and eggs before continuing north. On Friday, they planned to walk through Edison and sections of Woodbridge, and to spend the night in Perth Amboy, Rojas Rodriguez said.

Among those participating in the walk for 10 days is Juan Pablo Orjuela, who was born in Colombia and grew up in Lodi. Orjuela is protected from deportation under an Obama-era policy known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, which shields from deportation undocumented immigrants who arrived as children. Orjuela has been able to receive a driver's license under the program. 

"New Jersey is my home, and fortunately I have been able to get a driver's license,'' he said. "It has changed my life so much, and why am I the only one deserving? I want to use what I have and be there for the rest of my community."