Utah university offers fingerprinting for DACA recipients
Jun 17, 2019, 8:33 PM
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ST. GEORGE, Utah (AP) — Police at Dixie State University are offering people in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and other fingerprinting services — a required step to secure driving privileges in Utah.
Police at the St. George campus decided to offer the service after the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah reached out to them, The Spectrum reported last week.
“We noticed that getting your fingerprints done for a drivers privilege card was something that people weren’t able to do in Washington County,” said Sydni Makemo, an ACLU representative.
The closest provider of fingerprinting was located in neighboring Iron County, so the organization contacted multiple law enforcement agencies in the area.
“As soon as I called DSU police, they said, ‘of course,’ ” Makemo said. “They didn’t know this was a need in the community.”
The service should help hundreds of DACA recipients and immigrants living in southern Utah, Makemo said.
A record of a person’s fingerprints is needed to obtain a driving privilege card. The card allows people to legally drive in Utah, but it cannot be used as a form of ID.
University Police Chief Blair Barfuss said the service is available to anyone who needs it. They charge $20 for the service.
“We said there is absolutely no reason for us not to provide this service,” Barfuss said.
