Local immigration leaders on Thursday called for Idaho’s Republican leadership to work on immigration reform, citing a need for national policy and local policy, including their campaign to pass driver authorization card legislation in the state.

Driver authorization cards allow undocumented persons to drive legally in the U.S., access driver training courses and purchase insurance. Sen. Jim Guthrie, R-McCammon, in February introduced S.B. 1132, which aimed to create a driver authorization card; despite drawing strong support from an array of Idaho interests, ranging from agriculture and business groups to the Roman Catholic Diocese, the bill died in committee.

At least 60,000 people in Idaho live in a household with at least one undocumented person, according to Thursday’s press conference. Half are U.S. citizens and 23,000 are children.

“Both Democrats and Republicans have promised a lot in terms of immigration reform and have failed to pass legislation,” PODER of Idaho Executive Director Estefania Mondragon said. PODER — Protecting our Dreams and Empowering Resilience — is an organization dedicated to supporting Latino and undocumented communities in the state, according to its website.

“If we had Democratic leadership we would be calling on them too,” Mondragon said.

PODER of Idaho is calling for the state’s Republican representatives and senators to vote in favor of immigration reforms that include a pathway to citizenship.

“The Idaho Republican Party stands for secure borders so that immigrants may enter our country legally and safely,” Idaho Republican Party Chairman Tom Luna said in an emailed statement. “However, before we can make any meaningful progress on immigration reform we must first secure our southern border!”

The press conference was a “kick-off” event for the PODER Action Squad, a new group of immigrants’ rights activists, and a series of meetings the group will host with community leaders in an effort to build a coalition for immigration reform.

One of the speakers was from Immigrant Justice Idaho, which is a group that offers free and low-cost legal services and education regarding immigration law and policy.

The economy depends on immigrant labor, Mondragon added, and did so especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Idaho, she said, agriculture and construction run on immigrant labor.

The last time there was comprehensive immigration reform was over 30 years ago, she said, while a Republican was president.

“We’re forced to come here and again, remind Republicans of their legacy,” said Maria Andrade, executive director of Immigrant Justice Idaho. “It has saddened me to see how far and how long ago we once had rational policy.”

Andrade echoed the other speakers’ remarks and asked Republicans to lead, saying they were “uniquely qualified” to talk about Idaho’s needs with their colleagues.

She said it was not helpful to follow “political whims,” falling prey to hyperbole and myth and to go “down to the border on (an) allegedly trumped-up idea that there (are) only people that are criminals.”

Idaho Gov. Brad Little recently went to the U.S.-Mexico border with several other Republican governors to survey the situation and propose solutions. Little previously said Idaho had been experiencing an increase in drug overdoses, which he attributed to drugs coming over the border from Mexico.

PODER of Idaho also worked on a campaign called “Manejando Sin Miedo” or “Driving Without Fear.” The group worked with a bipartisan coalition, Mondragon said, in their effort to get driver’s licenses for undocumented people. Mondragon said the group is hoping to build relationships with law enforcement, which opposed the initial effort.

Mondragon said the legislation will make the roads safer.

“Ultimately we didn’t have enough to push the legislation forward so we’re hoping to continue building those relationships,” Mondragon said. “We’re also calling on House and Senate leadership to reconsider.”