Push for Repeal of Certain Drivers License Requirements
Posted Nov 20, 1999

Five immigrant advocacy groups in Texas wrote earlier this month to the Texas Department of Public Safety to protest the requirement that applicants for driver's licenses must have social security numbers and must prove their lawful immigration status. The groups point out that such a policy is contrary to both U.S. and Texas law, and would compromise public safety by leading to an increase in the number of unlicensed drivers. The complex matter of determining a person's immigration status is best left to INS, in view of the fact that INS has 26 different types of documents that evidence a person's lawful status.

The concern is that in a state like Texas, as with a majority of States within the U.S. where driving is the primary form of transportation, persons who are unable to qualify or a license will drive anyway, without training or insurance. Therefore, the groups recommend that for those without social security numbers, other identifiers, such as taxpayer numbers, be accepted as a substitute to issue a driver's license.

We at The Law Office of Sheela Murthy. P.C. have often been asked by business or tourist visitors if they can obtain a drivers license since the visitor will need to be independent to travel. In many States the requirement of a social security number prior to issuance of a drivers license could cause more harm than benefit to other drivers.