{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.husted.senate.gov/media/press-releases/husted-calls-for-national-ban-on-drivers-licenses-for-illegal-immigrants/", "Husted calls for national ban on driver\u2019s licenses for illegal immigrants", "2026-09-03", "2026", "2026-09", "Republican", "Senate", "OH", "Jon Husted", "H001104", "www.husted.senate.gov", "husted", "https://www.husted.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/", "scraper", "\u201cI urge you to act swiftly to ensure that no other family is devastated by the consequences of these failed policies.\u201d\n\nCOLUMBUS \u2013 Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) today wrote to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin urging the departments to prohibit states from issuing \u201cdrive-only\u201d driver\u2019s licenses to individuals who cannot demonstrate lawful immigration status.\n\nOn Aug. 29, 2026, an Ohioan was killed in a car crash in Fulton County, Ohio. The other driver, Washington G. Naula Ochoa, was an illegal immigrant who had obtained a \u201cdrive-only\u201d license in Connecticut. Ochoa has been charged with aggravated vehicular homicide.\n\nA \u201cdrive-only\u201d license is a type of driver\u2019s license issued by some states to individuals who cannot demonstrate lawful immigration status or provide a Social Security number. Ohio\u2019s Bureau of Motor Vehicleshas maintained requirements limiting the issuance of Ohio driver\u2019s licenses to U.S. citizens and lawful residents.\n\nIn his letter, Husted urged the departments to establish the same standard nationwide as Ohio and prevent states from issuing driver\u2019s licenses to individuals who cannot demonstrate lawful immigration status.\n\n\u201cI write to urge your departments to take swift and decisive action to prohibit state Departments of Motor Vehicles from issuing driver\u2019s licenses to individuals who cannot provide documentation of their lawful presence in the United States, commonly referred to as \u2018drive-only\u2019 licenses. Currently, nineteen states and the District of Columbia allow illegal immigrants to obtain \u2018drive-only\u2019 driver\u2019s licenses,\u201d wrote the lawmaker.\n\n\u201cOn August 29, 2026, an Ohio resident tragically lost their life following a car accident in which Washington G. Naula Ochoa, an illegal immigrant who entered the United States without inspection, failed to yield at a stop sign,\u201d he continued.\n\n\u201cDespite being illegally present in the United States, Washington G. Naula Ochoa obtained a \u2018drive-only\u2019 license from the state of Connecticut,\u201d he wrote.\n\n\u201cIn the state of Ohio, individuals must provide documentary proof of citizenship or lawful presence in the United States to receive any state identification card, including driver\u2019s licenses,\u201d he wrote.\n\n\u201cFederal regulations can build on this work and prohibit states from issuing driver\u2019s licenses of any kind to illegal immigrants, and incentivize states to follow Ohio\u2019s lead in designating noncitizen status on driver\u2019s licenses granted to lawfully present noncitizens,\u201d he continued.\n\n\u201cThe \u2018drive-only\u2019 initiatives for illegal immigrants championed by state governments across the country are not merely lapses in judgment; they are extensions of failed immigration policies that place Americans at risk. Thank you again for your commitment to protecting the American people. I urge you to act swiftly to ensure that no other family is devastated by the consequences of these failed policies,\u201d he concluded.", 1, "2026-09-04T09:19:37Z", "2026-09-04T09:20:58Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.husted.senate.gov/media/press-releases/husted-calls-for-national-ban-on-drivers-licenses-for-illegal-immigrants/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8233101107180119, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}