Driver’s Licenses
The ongoing debate about whether all age-eligible immigrants who can pass state driving tests should be able to obtain driver’s licenses has been a distraction from the real issues that states face in promoting public safety and protecting their communities. States need to create practical, workable solutions, and denying certain immigrants licenses because of their immigration status is simply bad public policy. It increases uninsurance rates and the number of unlicensed drivers, and it undermines effective law enforcement.
State Laws and Policies
MAP: State Laws & Policies on Driver’s Licenses for Immigrants
TABLE: State Laws Providing Access to Driver’s Licenses or Cards, Regardless of Immigration Status
Fact Sheets, Talking Points, Policy Analysis
Benefits of Expanding Access to Driver’s Licenses
Restrictions’ Effect on Citizens & Lawfully Present Immigrants
Uniform vs. Marked Licenses
REAL ID
Identification Issues
Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs)
Countering Allegations of Fraud
Costs
General Fact Sheets, Talking Points, and Analysis
Driver’s Licenses and National Security
Campaign Websites with Additional Information
How Does Granting Driving Privileges to Undocumented Migrants Affect Traffic Fatalities?In this paper, authors Catalina Amuedo-Dorantes and Eva Dziadula find that issuing undocumented migrants driver’s licenses reduces the share of fatalities that are related to hit and runs by 20 to more than 50 percent.
TOOLKIT: Access to Driver’s Licenses
Contents: Access to Driver’s Licenses Toolkit
DACA & Driver’s Licenses
REAL ID and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals
Access to Driver’s Licenses for Immigrant Youth Granted DACA
Protecting Privacy
Protecting State Driver’s License Information
Resource List: Immigration Enforcement–related Information Sharing and Privacy Protection
Campaign Materials
Supporters of Driver’s License Campaigns
Media, Community Education, Petitions, Letters of Support, and Public Opinion
Legislative Testimony, Research, and Related Issues
Legislative Testimony
Research
Related Issues
Arizona Dream Act Coalition, et al. v. Brewer, et al.: Challenge to Arizona policy that denied driver’s licenses to recipients of DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals)
Brewer v. Arizona Dream Act Coalition (ADAC): What Comes Next?
One Michigan, et al. v. Johnson: Challenge to Michigan policy of denying driver’s licenses to recipients of DACA
Complaint for Declarative, Injunctive, and Other Relief (filed 12/19/12, PDF)
Migrant Justice, et al. v. Nielsen, et al.: ICE, DHS, and Vermont DMV retaliating against activist immigrant leaders
National Immigration Law Center v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security, et al.: FOIA action regarding information-sharing by state driver’s license agencies
Documents Obtained Under FOIA: How U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement and State Motor Vehicle Departments Share Information
Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief (action under FOIA to compel DHS and ICE to properly search for and disclose documents and records related to information-sharing by state driver’s license agencies for immigration enforcement purposes) (U.S. District Court for the Central District of Calif., 12/17/14, PDF)