‘Necessity’ Those in U.S. illegally push for license to drive

ALBION, N.Y. (AP) — Dairy farm worker Luis Jiménez gambles every time he drives without a license. Even a minor traffic stop could alert immigration agents that he is in the country illegally and lead to deportation.

But in the wide open spaces of upstate New York’s farm country, supermarkets and job sites are often too far away for walking, there’s not always somebody around to give you a ride, and catching a city bus or subway just isn’t an option.

“Necessity forces us to take a risk,” Jiménez said in Spanish as he drove home recently. “We have to work, we have to buy food. Sometimes we get sick and workers like me can’t drive to a hospital, can’t buy medicine. But I feel I need to take the risk so that my kids and my family can have a better life.”