Dear Legislators and Governor Murphy–

Welcome and hospitality is an imperative in every faith tradition. We are commanded to live beyond small lines of identity and instead to fully welcome our neighbors.

With this moral grounding, we urge you to support legislation that would grant driver’s license to all New Jerseyans regardless of status.

As faith leaders from across the state and representing many traditions, we share core values of compassion, hospitality and welcoming the stranger in our midst. We are unwilling to simply bear witness to the unjust, unequal status that our immigrant neighbors face. We refuse to passively allow our immigrant friends, family and community members to be vulnerable because they cannot drive legally. We cannot accept the real economic and emotional pain as simply the way of life in New Jersey. We wish to ensure that none of our immigrant friends and family face limited access to good employment opportunities; the threat of heavy fines for driving without a license; and the deep-seated fear of family separation through arbitrary detention and deportation which can result from a chance traffic stop.

You have the power to change this by passing and implementing legislation that would allow all New Jerseyans regardless of status to be tested, trained, and insured to drive, which would put New Jersey in the rightful company of 13 other states and the District of Columbia that have recognized the moral imperative and practical value of allowing undocumented residents in their communities to drive legally.

With faith in the goodness of our leaders and the collective conscience leading us,

Respectfully,