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MO DMV employee: DACA recipients denied license renewals months before Tuesday decision

Posted at 6:43 PM, Sep 05, 2017
and last updated 2017-09-05 20:57:18-04

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A DMV employee told 41 Action News some DACA recipients in Missouri were denied a driver's license months before Tuesday’s decision to end the program.

“They should at least know that it's a possibility that they come here that they're not going to get anything. They're going to walk out with nothing,” the employee said. 

The DMV employee spoke with 41 Action News on the condition of anonymity, fearing that speaking out will cost him his job.

He said about three months ago, DACA recipients with all the proper paperwork started getting denied for license renewals. When he called the Department of Revenue in Jefferson City, which oversees the DMV offices, he would get this response. 

“They would tell us that Trump has ended parts of DACA,” the employee said.

Making him the bearer of bad news. 

“It made me feel kind of, of sick to have to break that to a kid that's really tried to get a permit, you know, taken a test a couple of times and finally got it and then were crushed,” the employee said.

41 Action News reached out to the Department of Revenue. In a statement, Michelle Gleba, Director of Communications, said:

“There has been no change in the policy regarding approval or denial of license renewals for DACA recipients. The federal documentation system in recent months has not always reflected the most up-to-date lawful status of DACA recipients. The Department makes every effort to determine the actual status of the applicant before approving or denying renewals.”

“You got all these kids you don't know what they're going to do. I don't know if they're going to lose their jobs, they're going to lose schooling, if they're going to be deported. It's kind of an uncertainty,” the employee said.