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Dia De Los Muertos production aims to help undocumented people get driver's license

Posted at 6:55 PM, Oct 18, 2020
and last updated 2020-10-18 20:55:23-04

Title 49 Chapter three in the Idaho state code list reasons why someone may not be able to get a driver's license; one of the reasons: being present in the country unlawfully, but Poder of Idaho, a non-profit organization, started a campaign to change that.

"Driver's license was at the forefront of the needs that our community had. People were telling us, well, if you're looking for a policy to move forward, this is something that we need and something that our families need," Estefania Mondragon, Co-Executive Director of Poder of Idaho, said.

One legal expert and former Republican legislator, Luke Malek, says if this does eventually become a bill, passing it in Idaho's legislature will be difficult.

"It would be a straightforward change from a wording standpoint to do that, but the real issue is the politics of the issue. Are we going to start granting privileges to people who are not here legally," Malek said.

But one Idahoan is helping Poder of Idaho make this happen. After putting together a Dia De Los Muertos production, Enzo Rodriguez decided to donate all the proceeds from the production to Poder of Idaho's Manejando sin Miedo campaign, which translates to driving without fear.

"If I could be a step somewhere in that system to help us keep getting where we need to be and be able to facilitate driver's licenses for anybody who is working and is a great member of society, that fulfills a space for me," Rodriguez said.

And the name of the campaign hits home for Enzo, who says he remembers his parents, who used to be undocumented, having to drive without a license to get around.

"We always had to behave a certain way in the car so that we wouldn't attract attention and also driving the speed limit, as everyone does, but it's just like what are you doing? Make sure you're doing everything right and correctly," Rodriguez said.

Enzo says with the proceeds from his Dia De Los Muertos show going to the Manejando sin Miedo Campaign, he hopes to take that fear away from families.