My life in New Jersey as a father without access to a driver’s license

NJ.com Star Ledger ^ | June 16, 2019 | Star-Ledger Guest Columnist John Jairo

[SMGFan]

On this Father's Day, I am writing to share my experience living, working, and raising a family without a driver's license. I have three children, two of whom go to Dover public schools, and my eldest daughter goes to the local community college. All three of them have trouble getting to school, urgent appointments, and participating in extracurricular activities because my wife nor I have access to a state-issued driver's license in New Jersey to drive them because of our immigration status.

We migrated to the United States from Columbia three years ago. We lived very well off there with our own house and car. Our children went to private schools. However, because of how well we were doing, I started to receive death threats, and we were forced to leave everything behind. I feared for my life and my wife and children’s well-being. If anything were to happen to me, they would struggle to survive. Going back is not an option for my family or me. Now we live in a small blue-collar Northern New Jersey town. It is a much different life than the one I use to live, but I am no longer facing death threats. To be able to get to work, I commute to two different towns to get to my second job. It’s a long commute but it would be impossible without driving because there is no public transportation that could take me there.

Six months ago, heading home from work one night, I was pulled over for not having my lights on. When the officer asked for my license, I could only show him my Colombian driver’s license. I didn’t know if I would be handed over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement that night, or even have a chance to say goodbye...

[RightGeek]

[Popman]

Wow...no Uber drivers in New Jersey..

[Lurkinanloomin]

Go Home!

Illegal aliens NOT wanted.

[Skywise]

Spin the story loud and clear - RICH 1%’ers from other countries are coming here to displace the poor and disobey the laws.

[SMGFan]

main reason he invaded NJ?

[headstamp 2]

[[However, because of how well we were doing, I started to receive death threats,]]

What was he? A racketeer? Or is it just boiler plate horsesh**?

[humblegunner]

I didn’t know if I would be handed over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement that night, or even have a chance to say goodbye...

Adios, puto. Don't come back.

[Tzimisce]

Your little laws shouldn’t apply to me: I’m Latino.

[Yo-Yo]

We migrated to illegally entered the United States from Columbia three years ago. There, fixed it.

[hanamizu]

Why drive at night without lights

---

Don’t know about Columbia, but in Mexico driving at night without lights was pretty common. The belief was that lights blinded other drivers, so the polite thing to do was to leave the lights off. This was especially true in the cities.

[chief lee runamok]

[libstripper]

Right there, “free” medical care stolen from US taxpayers, is why he and his family of parasites invaded the US. That’s one super-expensive condition.

[deport]

John Jairo and his family fled Colombia after receiving death threats. Today, in the U.S., they live with the threat of arrest because they don't have a driver's license but must get to work to make a living, and to the doctor's office for necessary treatments. As New Jerseyans are celebrating and honoring fathers, John says he hopes our state can help make access to a driver's licenses a reality for more parents like him.

[cradle of freedom]

So his neighbors were jealous of him and were making threats—couldn’t he move to another neighborhood or another town? Did he have to move thousands of miles to enter the United States illegally?

The same goes for people from Guatammla, Honduras, El Salvador or any other country whether Syria or anywhere? If Americans are living in a dangerous spot they can move to another neighborhood or city—they do not move all the way up to Canada—do they?

Even where there is an actual war going on, any country is large enough to accept refugees from the war torn part of that country. Wars do not consume a whole country they take place in one part of the country while other areas are safe.

[Grimmy]

Mexico would probably let ‘em have a drivers license.

We should send them there so they can find out.

[4Liberty]

Hey you moron, get one of these --

[E. Pluribus Unum]

OK, ICE, you now know where this guy is.

Do your job so he won’t have to be burdened with not having a drivers license anymore.

[jonascord]

Invading foreign criminal, and he's whining because he doesn't have a drivers license. Why and how can he possibly believe that he deserves one?

Gee. Sucks to be him.

[cpdiii]

Death threats in Columbia do not happen unless you are political or law enforcement, the bad guys do not care about the common man as they are shit scared of the bad guys.

Why is this man here in my nation? If he is a “true political refugee” he should be welcomed into our great nation. I do not know what he is?

Something is totally wrong with this story.

ps
I Lived in South America for several years in Venezuela and often traveled to Columbia. Columbia is filled with many people of great worth. I very much liked that great nation.