Linda Amarillo and Ileana Gonzalez said they rushed to take their Florida Driver’s License exams on Thursday.
It was the last day that Amarillo and Gonzalez, who don’t speak English fluently, were able to take the test in Spanish, their first language.
“It would have been more difficult, understanding and reading the questions,” Amarillo said while waiting to take the test.
Starting Friday, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles will issue driver’s license exams in all classifications only in English. Translators won’t be allowed.
Gonzalez passed the test, but she wasn’t in a full celebratory mood. She said there wasn’t enough notice about the change.
“I do think that [the policy] is anti-immigrant,” Gonzalez said.
The agency’s announcement on Jan. 30 attributed the change to taking “a leading role in highway safety“ and ”promoting clear communication.”
The change also impacts private businesses authorized as third-party testers in Florida. In North Miami, at Rossini’s Driving School, there was high demand for the tests in Haitian Creole and Spanish.
“In one of the most multilingual states in the country ... This is not about safety, this is about racism,” Nikki Fried, the chair of the Florida Democrats, wrote on X on Jan. 30.
Gov. Ron DeSantis used X on Jan. 31 to celebrate the change as “good reform ... Need to be able to read the road signs!”
Supporters cited the case of Rajinder Kumar, an Indian national, who was driving a semi-truck when he collided with a Subaru Outback on Nov. 24 in Oregon.
Jennifer Lower and William Carter died, and Kumar, who had a commercial driver’s license from California and a work permit, was arrested. Deschutes County prosecutors charged him with two counts of first-degree manslaughter and three counts of recklessly endangerment.
In December, Tricia McLaughlin, of Homeland Security, reported that Kumar “had entered the U.S. illegally near Lukeville, Arizona” on Nov. 28, 2022.
“How many more senseless tragedies must take place before sanctuary politicians stop allowing illegal aliens to dangerously operate semi-trucks on America’s roads? Our prayers are with William and Jennifer’s families,” McLaughlin said in a statement on Dec. 1, adding, “Under Secretary Noem, ICE will continue its efforts to get illegal alien truck drivers off America’s highways.”
Law enforcement video showed Kumar speaking English.
Terry Caldwell said on Thursday that he agrees with the English-only DMV testing policy.
“I think it’s a good thing,” Caldwell said. “I mean, we’re Americans, and Americans should have an English language for the test.”
YOUR OPINION: Is it practical for FLHSMV to offer the driver’s license exam in different languages, or is it a safety risk? Share your opinion in the comment section below:
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