Stearns County Sheriff Supports Driver’s License For All Bill

(KNSI) — The top law enforcement official in Stearns County is throwing his support behind House File 4, the Driver’s Licenses for All Bill.

The bill allows potential drivers to obtain a license or state ID card, regardless of immigration status.

Sheriff Steve Soyka testified in favor of the measure, saying issuing the state identification cards would help police. “From a public safety standpoint, what this could do for us is have people identified correctly. That allows us to track individuals who are committing traffic violations. It should make the roads a little bit safer. It also assists us in the criminal justice system in general so we can better track who we’re dealing with and how they go through the system by having these people properly ID’d.”

The bill would require a person to go through a classroom course and pass a road test before the state would issue them a license. The drivers would also be required to carry insurance.

Officials say Stearns County relies heavily on immigrants for its farm and manufacturing labor. Soyka says many of those workers need a way to get to work. “These people are already operating on our roads regardless of whether they have a driver’s license. So, why not have them come in, be properly identified, and help pay some of the fees and share some of the expenses that goes into the upkeep of our roads.”

Some might question why the sheriff’s office doesn’t arrest someone if they find they’re from another country illegally. “Even if we took somebody into custody here, the chances that ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] are going to jump on them and deport them are pretty slim. They’re just overwhelmed and again if they’re going to be out here and in our community operating vehicles, go through the process like everyone else has to [to] earn a driver’s license and operate on our roadways safely and correctly.”

The sheriff says he supports a special marking on the cards that would identify them as not being U.S. citizens, so the ID couldn’t be used to register to vote. That stipulation isn’t part of the current bill.

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