Colorado to Issue IDs, Driver Licenses to Immigrants Regardless of Status

"Colorado will begin issuing driver's licenses and identification cards to immigrants Friday regardless of their legal status, underscoring a sea change in a state that less than a decade ago passed strict immigration enforcement laws.  Now, thousands of immigrants are waiting to get cards they hope will add a degree of legitimacy to their residency in Colorado.  About 9,500 people are signed up for appointments through the next 90 days to get the documents, with more getting scheduled every day. Both people in the country illegally and those who have temporary legal status will qualify. ... Last year, Colorado was among eight states that passed laws allowing identification documents for people in the country illegally.  Two of those states, Illinois and Nevada, have already started issuing the documents.  California plans to start in January.  "The changes we've seen in Colorado are absolutely remarkable and really reflect a turning of the tide in the debate on what immigration means and how immigrants are viewed, not only in Colorado but in the country," said Hans Meyer, a Denver-based immigration attorney who was involved in crafting the new law." - Associated Press, Aug. 1, 2014.