Georgia groups claim a felony driving law in the state has impacted Latino and African-American drivers and strongly affected immigrants' lives.

Driving Bill Punishes Low-Income Latinos, Immigrants?

According to the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights (GLAHR), a non-profit organization that works to civically engage Latinos in human and civil rights, and the Advancement Project, a multiracial civil rights organization, states such as Georgia, home to nearly one million Latinos, have enacted policies that criminalize immigrants and people of color. The groups argue that Georgia's 2007 Senate Bill 350 unfairly establishes a felony category for driving without a driver's license, with a suspended license or with a revoked license.

"[The law] also carries heavy monetary penalties driving low-income families further into poverty. At a time when the nation is beginning a long overdue conversation on criminal justice reform, the 'felony driving law' is a prime example of a state law that must be revisited and eliminated," wrote the two organizations in the report, titled "Manufacturing Felonies: How Driving Became a Felony for People of Color in Georgia."

"An additional concern regarding the 'felony driving law' is that it may end up serving as a dragnet by Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) to meet its quotas of undocumented immigrants in process of deportation," the report continued, emphasizing the law's effect on Georgia's Fayette, Houston and Roswell counties. "Local jails and police agencies cooperate with ICE to the detriment of the undocumented immigrant community."

But the organizations are not dismissing the driving law as pure nonsense. GLAHR and the Advancement Project recognize Georgia "can and should regulate" driving rights, but argue the state should not create penalties that hurt communities disproportionately.

Per Georgia law, immigrants cannot receive a driver's license. If an individual violates the driving law, he or she may face "not less than one year" of prison time, in addition to a fine ranging between $2,500 and $5,000. Furthermore, the law requires those convicted to submit fingerprints.

"As such, laws like the 'felony driving law' create fear. ... In the Latino community, the frequency and intensity of police encounters have led to a significant fear amongst communities who feel harassed by police officers waiting outside of residential areas for people conducting their everyday driving, like commuting to work or taking their children to a doctor's appointment," the report authors write.

What Should Be Done?

According to Advancement Project and GLAHR, states and communities must stop racially profiling communities with prominent Latino, African-American and immigrant populations, and local sheriffs should "use their discretion in stopping individuals and issuing tickets for minor traffic violations."

The groups also called on the Georgia Legislature to overturn S.B. 350 and to pass legislation allowing driver's licenses for all groups, which could ensure safer driving conditions and decriminalize driving without a license.

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