One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
California Gave 605,000 Driver's Licenses To Undocumented Immigrants
DMV office (Photo by Michael Ocampo via the Creative Commons on Flickr)
Over the past year, California has issued 605,000 driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants under a new law.
The passage of Assembly Bill 60 allowed for people living in the country illegally to start applying for a license starting on Jan. 2, 2015, according to the OC Register. The Department of Motor Vehicles announced that they received 830,000 applications from undocumented immigrants, and they approved 605,000 of those applications.
In order to obtain a driver's license, undocumented immigrants would have to provide an ID from their home country and show that they're California residents, according to CBS Los Angeles. They would also have to pass the written and driving tests.
The DMV was prepared for the large number of applicants. Some of their preparations included hiring 1,000 temporary employees and extending their office hours.
"This was a major undertaking and never before had the department implemented a program such as this one," Artemio Armenta, spokesman for the DMV, told the Register.
When the law went into effect, California was one of 10 states issuing driver's licenses to immigrants living in the country illegally, according to NBC Los Angeles. It had been since the 1990s since undocumented immigrants were allowed to apply for a license in California after a law went into effect requiring applicants to show their legal status.
While law enforcement officials believe that roads will be safer because drivers will be tested and insured, it's been a contentious new law. NBC reports:
Sponsored message
Immigrant advocates have cheered the licenses as a way to integrate immigrants who must drive to work and shuttle children to school. But critics have questioned state officials' ability to verify the identity of foreign applicants, citing security concerns.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
