Q: I am confused over an article in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution about Jessica Colotl going back to court for not having a driver's license. The article quotes her lawyer as saying she has since obtained a learner's permit. I thought you had to prove you are a U.S. citizen to get a permit or license in Georgia.
-- Frank Cook, Doraville
A: Georgia law allows noncitizens to obtain a driver's license or identification card if they can present documentation of one of the following:
- Admission to the U.S. in a valid, unexpired nonimmigrant status.
- A pending or approved application for asylum in the U.S.
- Admission into the U.S. in refugee status.
- An approved application for temporary protected status in the U.S.
- Approved deferred action status.
- Other federal documentation verified by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to be valid documentary evidence of lawful presence in the U.S. under federal immigration law.
Colotl's parents brought her from Mexico to the U.S. illegally when she was about 10 or 11 years old, and a traffic stop in 2010 while she was a student at Kennesaw State University set off a chain of events that almost led to her deportation. Colotl was granted deferred action status in her immigration case, so she was eligible for a driver’s license, pursuant to state law -- O.C.G.A. 40-5-21.1(a)(5) -- Jennifer Ammons, the general counsel for Georgia’s Department of Driver Services, told Q&A on the News in an email. She added that the same provision likely will apply to any noncitizens granted employment authorization documents in the program recently announced by the Department of Homeland Security. Colotl graduated from Kennesaw State in May 2011 and is working as a paralegal for Charles Kuck, her immigration attorney.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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