Milford Woman Heads Repeal Effort Over Licenses For Undocumented Law

MILFORD, MA — A Milford woman whose son was hit and killed by an unlicensed driver in 2011 will head an attempt to repeal a new state law that would allow residents without legal status to get driver licenses.

Maureen Maloney will chair the Fair And Secure Massachusetts committee, which will attempt to put a question on the ballot in November to repeal the Work & Family Mobility Act. Gov. Charlie Baker vetoed the law over a provision allowing undocumented residents to start applying for licenses starting in July 2023. Both the Senate and House last week voted to override the veto.

Maloney's committee will need to get a little over 40,000 signatures by Aug. 24 to make it into the November ballot.

The passage of the law makes Massachusetts the 17th state to allow a path to licenses for the undocumented. Proponents say it will improve safety because undocumented residents are already driving unlicensed with no training on state driving laws.

Maloney's son, Matthew Denice, died in 2011 when undocumented immigrant Nicolas Dutan Guaman hit him. Denice was riding a motorcycle when Guaman rolled through a stop sign in Milford and dragged Denice. Guaman is serving a 12 to 14-year sentence in state prison on multiple charges, including manslaughter while driving under the influence.

She has advocated for tougher laws on immigration as part of a group of "angel families" — a group of people whose children "have been killed by people who were illegally in this country," former president Donald Trump said in 2019. Maloney appeared with Trump during a 2016 campaign event in Arizona about immigration. Maloney also met with former attorney general Jeff Sessions to advocate for stronger immigration laws.