Immigrant rights activists rally against court decision to dismantle car impound policy

Listen to the full audio story

Download the MP3

Immigrant rights activists gathered on October 1 in Hollywood to show their disappointment to a recent court ruling which repealed the "Special Order 7"  put in place last year. Under "Special Order 7," if officers stopped an unlicensed driver who could show proof of auto insurance, acceptable identification and a clean record, officers could no longer invoke the part of the state vehicle code that allowed them to impound the car for 30 days with as large a fine as $2,000. Once implemented, the order was hailed as a lenient policy on undocumented immigrants. However, in August, L.A. County Superior Court Judge Terry Green ruled that the order violates the state law. Oscar Hermandez, representative of Full Rights for Immigrants Coalition, which organized the event, said the ill-received decision by the judge will inflict the whole city with as many as 400, 000 undocumented unlicensed drivers. They urged the state to pass legislation to extend rights to undocumented community.