By Scarlet Hansen / Crosscut.com
January 30, 2024
Daniel Gomez dreamed of becoming a nurse, a passion sparked after immigrating to the United States from Mexico and witnessing the health care his grandparents received while undergoing treatment for kidney failure.
“We would go to the hospital pretty often, and that’s where I saw how compassionate nurses were towards them,” Gomez said. “That was where my passion began.”
But Gomez’s path toward his dream job hit a regulatory barrier, one that impacts undocumented people across the nation: professional licensing. After looking at the website of his local community college in Eugene, Oregon, Gomez learned that a Social Security number (SSN) might be required to obtain a nursing license. Gomez ultimately changed direction and decided to pursue a degree in political science. He now works as a community organizer for the Latino Community Fund of Washington State.
Gomez was one of many undocumented Washingtonians who testified before the House Consumer Protection and Business Committee on Jan. 9 to support a proposal to build an easier path toward a professional license for people like him. House Bill 1889 would strike the requirement that applicants for professional licenses be U.S. citizens, allowing for the use of an individual tax identification number instead of a social security number. The bill would also encourage qualified undocumented students to pursue their dream jobs by addressing the lack of clarity surrounding which licenses require an SSN.