This letter is from NJ-based faith leaders to leadership.

Dear Governor Murphy, Senate President Sweeney, and Assembly Speaker Coughlin:

As faith leaders from across the State of New Jersey, we write to urge you to prioritize the immediate passage of bill A4743/S3229 to expand access to driver’s licenses to all qualified New Jersey drivers, regardless of their immigration status. In New Jersey, driving is critical to caring for family, accessing medical and social services, getting to work, and participating in community life. However, hundreds of thousands of New Jersey residents cannot obtain a driver’s license due to outdated and stringent requirements. This includes vulnerable populations such as immigrants without status, low-income individuals, formerly incarcerated individuals who are now re-entering society, survivors of domestic violence, homeless individuals, and senior citizens.

Our faith compels us to speak up for those who are most marginalized in our communities. The three Abrahamic religions each call on us to care for the immigrant, the exile, and the newcomer, as do other traditions. The Jewish tradition is clear on the treatment of immigrants. We are inspired by our faith that demands of us not just concern for the strangers in our midst, but also equal and fair treatment of them. Leviticus instructs us that, “When strangers sojourn with you in your land, you shall not do them wrong. The strangers who sojourn with you shall be to you as the natives among you, and you shall love them as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt” (19:33-34). Exodus 12:49 makes it clear: “There shall be one law for the native and for the alien who resides among you.” This teaching permeates Jewish tradition and in all is stated 36 times in the Torah – the most repeated of any commandment. It reminds us of how our ancestors were treated as the stranger, even in Egypt, a land where we lived for generations, and of our responsibility towards others.

The Christian and Muslim traditions each echo the prophetic Jewish command to care for immigrants. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus lays out this instruction among the criteria for eternal salvation: “For… I was a stranger and you welcomed me…. I tell you solemnly, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.” (Matthew 25:35-40). In the Qur’an can be found this admonition: “And those who become [refugees] for the cause of God after they had been oppressed. We verily shall give them goodly lodging in the world, and surely the reward of the hereafter is greater…” (Verse 16:41).

We cannot remain silent amid attacks on our friends, neighbors, and family members, all of whom contribute immensely to our communities. We must fight hate for the sake of our shared values. This means fighting against family separation at both the federal and state level. Leaders in New Jersey can help keep families together by expanding access to licenses, a policy which would allow all immigrants to more fully participate as members of their communities and make them less vulnerable to detention and deportation every time they go to work, take a child to school or to the doctor, or attend a worship service.

Fourteen states and Washington, D.C. have expanded access to drivers licenses to qualified drivers, regardless of immigration status, and we believe New Jersey is poised to join these states. Doing so would increase public safety, help the state’s economy, and increase the well-being of all families. Now is the time to turn our values into action, and to ensure that justice for our state’s most vulnerable is neither delayed nor denied. Please use your power to make New Jersey a more merciful, just place for all of us.

Sincerely,