DMV Issues Licenses To 1 Million Undocumented Immigrants

CALIFORNIA -- Five years after Gov. Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill 60 into law, more than 1 million undocumented immigrants have received California driver's licenses. The bill, authored by former Assemblyman Luis Alejo, allows the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue licenses regardless of a resident's legal status.

The DMV recently announced that it has issued 1,001,000 driver licenses to undocumented immigrants. During the first year, the DMV issued approximately 605,000 driver licenses under AB 60 and administered more than two million knowledge and drive tests combined for approximately 830,000 applicants, the agency said.

In a statement to the Bay Area News Group, Alejo, who now serves as supervisor in Monterey County, said the bill "has resulted in immigrants having a better life by no longer being in fear that they’re going to get their cars impounded or being put in deportation proceedings for something as simple as not having their license."

The bill was approved by lawmakers despite criticism from some Californians who believed undocumented immigrants should not receive licenses.

Although residents do not need to prove they are living in the U.S. legally, they must show "satisfactory proof of identity and California residency," according to the DMV. Applicants must also pay an application fee, pass necessary tests and give a thumb print, the agency states on its website.

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