More aliens seek driver’s licenses in Maryland

Since March, the average weekly number of driver’s license applications by immigrants and illegal aliens has nearly doubled in Maryland, where legal residency is not required of applicants, according to the state Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA).

The number of out-of-country license applications, or those for noncitizens, has surged from an average of 946 a week to 1,800 a week since March, MVA spokesman Buel Young said.

MVA officials initially attributed the increase to multiple appointment bookings by foreign-born applicants, Mr. Young said. But the average number of out-of-country applications remained high even after the MVA last month stopped taking appointments and began processing twice as many applications through a walk-in process, he said.

“I don’t really have an answer” for the increase, Mr. Young said.

Virginia does not issue driver’s licenses to illegal aliens, and the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles does not track the number of out-of-country applications it processes.

Local immigrants say illegal aliens are contributing to Maryland’s surge in license applications by flocking to the state when their visas expire or by using the Maryland addresses of relatives.

“I heard that it’s easier [to get licenses] here because in other states you need documents, but here it’s not required,” said 16-year-old Marcela, a Salvadoran immigrant who lives in Silver Spring and did not want to give her last name.

Antonio Lopez, a Guatemalan immigrant living in Hyattsville, said it is common for illegals to come to Maryland to apply for a license because a green card or Social Security card isn’t required.

Cameroonian immigrant Nelson Manga, 35, who is obtaining his green card, said it depends on what a license will be used for.

“Some people want to use it to identify themselves as permanent residents. That’s not right,” he said.

Although unlawful application for a license violates state law, there is no way to determine whether an illegal is falsely using the address of a relative, nor is it possible to track whether immigrants whose licenses have expired in other states move to Maryland and obtain a driver’s license, Mr. Young said.

Neither of those circumstances necessarily constitutes unlawful application if the person can prove state residency.

“Our task at the MVA is to determine whether someone is in fact who they say they are, so we require proof of age, identity and Maryland residency,” Mr. Young said.

“If someone provides proper documentation such as bills or lease agreements establishing residency, we must accept it,” the MVA spokesman said. “Because proof of legal presence is not required in Maryland, we do not ask if you’re here legally or not.”

The Coalition for a Secure Driver’s License lists Maryland as one of eight states that do not require legal presence to get a license, and the Democrat-controlled Maryland General Assembly has three times rejected bills that would require it.

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