By John Jairo
On this Father's Day, I am writing to share my experience living, working, and raising a family without a driver's license. I have three children, two of whom go to Dover public schools, and my eldest daughter goes to the local community college. All three of them have trouble getting to school, urgent appointments, and participating in extracurricular activities because my wife nor I have access to a state-issued driver's license in New Jersey to drive them because of our immigration status.
We migrated to the United States from Columbia three years ago. We lived very well off there with our own house and car. Our children went to private schools. However, because of how well we were doing, I started to receive death threats, and we were forced to leave everything behind. I feared for my life and my wife and children’s well-being. If anything were to happen to me, they would struggle to survive. Going back is not an option for my family or me.
Now we live in a small blue-collar Northern New Jersey town. It is a much different life than the one I use to live, but I am no longer facing death threats. To be able to get to work, I commute to two different towns to get to my second job. It’s a long commute but it would be impossible without driving because there is no public transportation that could take me there.
Six months ago, heading home from work one night, I was pulled over for not having my lights on. When the officer asked for my license, I could only show him my Colombian driver’s license. I didn’t know if I would be handed over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement that night, or even have a chance to say goodbye to my wife and kids. This is the terrifying reality my family and I live with. Thankfully, at the end of it all, that was not the case, and I paid the hefty $250 fine for driving without a license.
For my children, getting to school is difficult because there are no school buses provided for middle school or high school students. Many kids have to walk 30 to 40 minutes to get to school in the morning. To make sure our kids get to school safely and on time, we pay another community member to drive them to school every morning.
Without school provided buses, the opportunities and experiences my kids can take part in are limited because I can’t drive them myself. For example, 12-year- old son, wants to join his school’s soccer team, but he would not be able to get to the practice or games consistently because neither of his parents could drive him. Similarly, my daughter can’t join her high school volleyball team even though she loves the sport.
The repercussions of not being able to drive in New Jersey also precipitate into my wife’s access to healthcare. She needs to go to a local hospital every week to get treatment and check up with her doctors for a brain condition. However, for her to get to her weekly appointments, she needs to spend $60 on taxis.
Life without a driver’s license in New Jersey is one where simple things are out of reach. As summer is approaching, I consider how we don’t know what New Jersey beaches are like because our family has yet to take a vacation to see the Jersey shore or the boardwalk. My kids mention wanting to visit adventure parks as their friends have done. It would be too much of a risk to drive there for our family without a license.
With a driver's license, life for our family in New Jersey would improve significantly. We could get to work, school, and fully participate in our community. We would buy a car for my wife, contribute to the state and local economy by paying the license and registration fees. Driving with a license would help us drive safely and without fear, and it would also help us give back even more to our community and local businesses.
As New Jerseyans are celebrating and honoring fathers, I hope our state can help make access to a driver's licenses a reality for more parents like myself by allowing every qualified resident who can get tested and trained to access a standard driver's license. It is a necessity for thousands of families like mine.
John Jairo lives with his family in Dover and is a member of Wind of the Spirit, an Immigrant Resource Center.
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