Secretary of State Begins Allowing DACA Driver's License Applications

February 19, 2013

As of February 19, 2013, the Michigan Secretary of State has updated its rules so that beneficiaries of the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program are eligible for driver's licenses and state ID cards.  The updated list of acceptable documents can be found here in English and here in Spanish.  Note that the "Legal Presence" column contains "Valid Unexpired Employment Authorization Card."  Previously, the list included an exception for Employment Authorization Documents for DACA holders.

In October 2012, the Michigan Secretary of State decided that Employment Authorization Documents from DACA holders were not acceptable documents for purposes of qualifying for driver's licenses and state ID cards.  This decision was made even though the Secretary of State accepted Employment Authorization Documents from every other non-citizen, including others who were granted Deferred Action by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The Secretary of State reversal came after the department was sued by young immigrants affected by the Secretary of State's incorrect policy and after the Department of Homeland Security explained in more detail how non-citizens in Deferred Action status are considered legally present in the United States.