Ballot initiative floated banning licenses for unauthorized immigrants
By Christina Lengyel | The Center Square
(The Center Square) – Unauthorized immigrants would be prohibited from obtaining driver’s licenses in Pennsylvania if a constitutional amendment proposal is successful.
“In my eyes, the American people sent a message to the legislators of this country last November that they wanted to see more direct action on the issue of illegal immigration,” said Rep. Donna Scheuren, R-Gilbertsville, author of the bill.
The legislator along with Rep. Jill Cooper, R-Export, and Caucus Chairwoman Martina White, R-Philadelphia, detailed instances across the country during which people were injured or killed in car accidents where noncitizen immigrants were driving. Two of the specific incidents mentioned occurred in Pennsylvania.
In 2024, the number of noncitizen DUI arrests reached its highest, what Cooper called a “staggering 2,844.” According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, there are about 1 million DUI arrests across the U.S. annually. In other words, while the number is undeniably growing, people illegally living in the country account for 0.28%, or less than one third of 1% of DUIs.
“The statistics from the past four years are not just numbers,” Cooper said. “They represent lives affected, families shattered by a situation we can no longer ignore.”
The legislators expressed concern about policies in 12 states, including neighboring New York and New Jersey, which allow people illegally in America to obtain driver’s licenses. White noted U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has announced that the Justice Department is suing the state of New York for its Green Light law.
“These policies create significant inconsistencies that undermine federal immigration enforcement and hinder coordination between state and federal offices,” said White.
Human rights advocates by and large stand in opposition to the Trump administration’s immigration policies, sweeping deportations and unprecedented enforcement tactics, including the suggested use of artificial intelligence to identify and deport political dissidents.
Pennsylvania does not issue driver’s licenses to people illegally in the country. In 2023, House Democrats put forward a bill that would change that, allowing taxpayers to use their employment identification numbers in lieu of Social Security numbers to apply if they’ll lawfully be in the state for a year or more. House Bill 769 was referred to the House Transportation committee and never brought to a vote.
Advocates say incorporating people illegally in the country into the driver’s license process will reduce the number of untested and uninsured drivers on the road. They say that allowing noncitizens to carry non-Real IDs would also make a huge impact for many who are limited by a lack of legal documentation and identification.
The Driving PA Forward coalition says instituting licensing services for people illegally in the country would result in a $13 million increase in revenue for the state from fees, taxes and other vehicle-related purchases over the next three years.
Without irony, Republican legislators adorned themselves in St. Patrick’s Day regalia while promoting the bill. Irish immigrants were notoriously discriminated against during the 19th century when the Great Famine sent waves of laborers fleeing for survival.
In the United States, they were met with the kind of anti-immigrant rhetoric that abounds today despite limited federal immigration regulations at the time. The wave ultimately resulted in Irish immigrants making up nearly 15% of Pennsylvania’s population.
