Drivers Licenses for Illegal Aliens

Obtaining drivers licenses for illegal aliens is one of the key objectives of the open borders lobby. 

While a drivers license is the de facto identification card in America, many states issue drivers licenses without requiring a valid Social Security numbers. A drivers license is in effect a "breeder document" that allows the bearer to open bank accounts, board planes, rent housing, and obtain credit.

Most importantly, a drivers license is a key document that allows the bearer to vote - even though that person is not a United States citizen. The Motor Voter Act of 1993 made it convenient to register to vote by requiring all states to allow all people who apply for a drivers license to also register to vote.

It should be noted that all of the 9/11 hijackers had drivers licenses or state-issued identification cards from "lenient" states.

Coloradoans are overwhelmingly against giving drivers licenses to illegals. A Rasmussen Report poll of likely voters in Colorado on December 12, 2007 found:

• 75% oppose granting drivers' licenses to illegal aliens.
• 71% say that when police officers pull someone over for a traffic violation, they should routinely check to see if that person is in the country legally.
• 59% believe that if an illegal alien is discovered in this manner, they should be deported.

A few states give drivers licenses to illegal aliens.In 2003, California's Governor Davis signed into law a bill that would give illegals drivers licenses. This is likely the final act that contributed to his 2003 recall. Incoming Governor Schwarzenegger annulled the law, purportedly so that the electorate would not have a chance to vote on a referendum on the issue. 

Compelling reasons why drivers licenses should not be issued to illegal aliens

1. A driver's license is a privilege that should be reserved for persons lawfully present in the United States, including those who are lawfully invited to immigrate here or who are lawfull guests in our country.
2. Giving driver's licenses to illegal aliens compounds the incentives for illegal aliens to come to Colorado. This certainly is not in Colorado's best interest.
3. Forty five states currently have chosen to have secure driver's licenses for legal residents only. Only five states have statutes or regulations that implicitly give illegal aliens access to driving privileges: Illinois, New Mexico, Utah, Washington and Maryland. Even so, Illinois and Utah both prohibit these documents from being used for identification purposes.
4. The federal REAL ID Act does not allow states to grant ID documents to illegal aliens. The 911 Commission Report noted that a driver's license is a "breeder document" or a gateway document, and opens access to all of our institutions.
5. Fraud is "not uncommon" in private schools, where illegal aliens can obtain drivers licences in exchange for a bribe. See the article below.
6. It is not likely that illegal aliens would want to subject themselves to Colorado's stringent driving requirements. See the following section.
7. Illegal aliens will gain entry to the voting booth - a boon to the Democratic Party who know that all "immigrants" vote for the party that gives them the most freebies.
8. Federal Homeland Security and even state officials acknowledge troubling and well-documented deficiencies in Colorado's system for testing driving applicants.
9. It has been clearly demonstrated criminals and terrorists use Drivers Licenses to blend into society to commit terrorist acts and other crimes.
10. State Senator Evie Hudak (D-Westminster) and Representative Glenn Vaad (R-Mead) of the Senate and House transportation committees, said in 2011 there is no money in the budget for more DMV auditors.
11. Although insurance is required to operate a motor vehicle, it can be easily cancelled. See the section below.
12. It is likely that automobile insurance premiums could go up to cover the costs of illegal aliens who would drive with insurance - but who would not have undergone Colorado driving requirements, as noted below.
13. A primary argument for issuing licenses to illegals is that as a result, highway safety would improve. Yet no such evidence is forthcoming from other states that issue licenses to illegal aliens, including New Mexico, Washington, and Utah. 
14. Some illegal aliens may take advantage of a law giving them drivers licenses. However, those who fail the test will likely continue to drive without a license. Thus, we will continue to have safe drivers and unsafe drivers in the same approximate proportions as we do now.
15. A proposal to stamp an illegal alien's driver's licenses on the back with "Non-Citizen" is a meaningless gesture. No one checks the back of a license. To be significant, a "Non-Citizen" designation must appear on the front of the license, not the back. Note that Green card holders and legal non-immigrants, guest workers and international visitors already can obtain a legal driver's license, and therefore such a requirement would not apply to them.
16. A proposal to allow the Mexican Matricula ID Card to be used as valid identification to obtain a drivers license is unsound. No major bank in Mexico accepts the Matricula card to open an account. And the cards are recognized as IDs in only 10 of Mexico's 32 states and districts.
17. Utah and New Mexico have experienced "driver's license tourism" - where illegal aliens entering the state and use a local address to get a Colorado drivers license. They then return to another state of residence, such as Arizona, Texas, or Kansas, where such licenses are not available. Colorado should not join this thriving industry of ID document fraud.
18. A 2012 Colorado initiative to give illegal aliens drivers licenses failed dramatically, gathering under half of the required 86,000 signatures, even after months of trying. This reflects polling data revealing that 75 percent of Coloradoans oppose granting drivers' licenses to illegal aliens.

Experience of other states

Of the five states allowing illegal aliens to have driving privileges, Illinois and Utah both prohibit these documents from being used for identification purposes.

New Mexico began issuing driver’s licenses to non-citizens in 2003. Then-Governor Bill Richardson had argued the policy would reduce the high number of uninsured drivers in the state. A decade later, national statistics confirmed that the law failed to live up to its expectations. New Mexico continues to rank near the top of the list of states with the most uninsured drivers, consistently registering at nearly twice the national average, according to the Insurance Research Council.

An estimated 49,000 illegal aliens reside in New Mexico, and since the law went into effect some 80,000 licenses have been issued to foreign nationals. New Mexico simply has opened their border further to encourage people to come there for drivers licenses.

Tennessee stopped issuing driving certificates to illegal aliens after investigations found rampant "driver's license tourism" where illegal aliens were being shuttled in from other states, using fake residency papers and sometimes bribing state workers to get the drivers licenses. The driving certificates were stamped with "not valid for identification", and were meant to improve driving safety by attempting to ensure that non-citizens living in the state were aware of traffic laws. Federal investigations found that illegal aliens were traveling hundreds of miles to get the certificates illegally.

Issuing licenses to illegal aliens clearly acts as a magnet, drawing in more and more illegal aliens. The number of licenses issued to foreign nationals in three of the states that currently grant driver's licenses to illegal aliens - Washington, New Mexico, and Utah - has risen 60 percent.

Colorado's stringent driving requirements

Colorado has stringent requirements that must be met in order to drive in the state.

Before applying for a license, an individual must:

• Hold an instruction permit for at least one year.
• Log 50 hours of supervised driving time, with 10 of those hours occurring at night. During this time, you can only be accompanied by a driving instructor, a parent or legal guardian, or an adult alternate permit supervisor approved by parent or legal guardian. All supervisors must hold a Colorado driver's license.

Licensed Drivers Under 18 must adhere to the following restrictions:

• You cannot ride with any passenger under 21 until after six months of owning your license (siblings and passengers with medical emergencies are exempt).
• You cannot drive with more than one passenger under 21 until after holding your license for more than one year (siblings and passengers with medical emergencies are exempt).
• You cannot drive with more than one passenger sitting up front.
• You and your passengers must wear seat belts.
• You cannot drive between midnight and 5 a.m. until after holding your license for more than one year. Exceptions to this rule include work and school reasons, and if you're accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

Foreign Nationals living in Colorado who would like a driver’s license must meet the following requirements:

• Pass the written knowledge test
• Pass a vision screening test
• Present identification which prove all four of Colorado’s identification requirements.
• Present proof of current Colorado address
• Obtain a Colorado Instruction Permit
• Pass the road test

For more detailed information on obtaining a Colorado driver’s license, see the Department of Motor Vehicle website.

Insurance is required in order to operate a motor vehicle in Colorado. However, according to the DMV, it is astonishingly easy to obtain insurance and then cancel it, while continuing to drive.

Driving School Fraud

An April 10, 2013 Denver Post article, Aurora driving school owner accused of granting licenses for bribes stated that:

A July 24, 2011 Denver Post article, Colorado laws invite abuse by private driving schools stated that:

Timeline of illegal aliens issued fraudulent drivers licenses in Colorado: 2001 to 2012

• 2012 - Sikiru A. Fadeyi indicted illegal sale of CO Drivers Licenses. See Driving School Shut Down By Dept. Of Revenue, Denver Post, July 27, 2011.
• 2012 Indictment USDOJ - A federal grand jury in Denver last week returned an indictment charging three defendants with mail fraud and bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds in connection with the illegal sale of documents that enabled the purchaser to obtain a driver license or learner’s permit, the U.S. Department of Justice and the Colorado Department of Revenue announced. The three defendants indicted are Sikiru A. Fadeyi, age 62 of Centennial, Djibrill Sana, age 34 of Aurora, and Omar Masakira, age 53 of Denver. See Commercial driving school owner/instructor and two brokers indicted for taking money in turn for giving passing grades to driver's license applicants, US Attorney's Office, District of Colorado, April 30, 2012.
• 2011 - ICE indictment- Driving  instructor Dennis Dean Sieving indicted on federal charges that he took money to certify driving exams. Many of Sieving's customers were immigrants from Myanmar, and Fadeyi's patrons mostly came from Somalia or Ethiopia. See indictment, US District Court, Colorado.
• 2010 - Sikiru A. Fadeyi  - Federal Bureau of Investigation said Fadeyi was falsifying driving tests for Somalis coming to him from Nebraska. See Colorado laws invite abuse by private driving schools, Denver Post, July 24, 2011.
• 2005 - A Denver license examiner was accused of issuing 978 licenses without getting Social Security numbers from applicants. (ibid.)
• 2003 - Sikiru A. Fadeyi was caught falsifying driving examinations to help scores of immigrants, many of them Somalis living in Minnesota, come to Colorado and illicitly get driver's licenses — a critical entry point to American society. His license was then suspended. (ibid.)
• 2001- Glenwood Springs police completed an undercover sting operation at DMV office, when the illegal aliens went to the driver's license office to complete their paperwork, full-time employee Patricia Kay with the Department of Motor Vehicles office falsified their documents to state the persons were legally entitled to receive the license. Virginia Escalante, 44, and Fernando  Escalante were contract workers who administered driving tests. The driving tests for the illegal aliens were falsified by the Escalantes. See DMV employee last to be sentenced in driver's license scam, Glenwood Post Independent, July 7, 2001.

Traffic accidents and fatalities

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says in 2010 that the cost of medical care and productivity losses associated with motor vehicle crash injuries was over $99 billion, or nearly $500, for each licensed driver in the United States.

A 2008 report by the Automobile Association of America states that according to the Federal Highway Administration, the per-person cost of traffic fatalities in 2005 dollars is $3.2 million and $68,170 for injuries. AAA estimates the cost of traffic crashes to be $166.7 billion. Costs include medical, emergency services, police services, property damage, lost productivity, and quality of life. Read AAA executive summary.

In 2011, 32,367 people died in motor vehicle crashes, down 1.9 percent from 2010, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. In 2011, 2,217,000 people were injured in motor vehicle crashes. In 2010, 32,999 people died in motor vehicle crashes and an additional 2,239,000 people were injured. (From Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association.)

Subsequent complications

Pew study finds several problems in the state-based programs, Denver Post, November 26, 2015.

From the report Deciding Who Drives, Pew Charitable Trusts, July 2015, updated September 3, 2015.