Protesters chanted outside the state Senate chamber this opening day of the 2020 session, demanding that undocumented immigrants be allowed to obtain drivers licenses in Minnesota. Republican Majority Leader Paul Gazelka says he will not support drivers licenses for illegal immigrants. “My hope is that someday they actually close the border on the federal level, and that we then figure out what to do with all the people that have been here for a generation,” Gazelka says. “It is a problem. I just don’t want to reward illegal activity.”
Backers say Minnesota roads will be safer if undocumented immigrants receive drivers licenses with the proper training. The measure died in the closing hours of the 2019 legislative session.