{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.husted.senate.gov/media/press-releases/husted-calls-on-states-to-end-drive-only-licenses-for-illegal-immigrants/", "Husted calls on states to end \u201cdrive-only\u201d licenses for illegal immigrants", "2026-09-09", "2026", "2026-09", "Republican", "Senate", "OH", "Jon Husted", "H001104", "www.husted.senate.gov", "husted", "https://www.husted.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/", "scraper", "\u201cNo state should allow illegal immigrants to obtain driver\u2019s licenses.\u201d\n\nCOLUMBUS \u2013 Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) today wrote to 19 U.S. governors and the mayor of Washington, D.C. in strong opposition to policies in their states that allow illegal immigrants to obtain \u201cdrive-only\u201d driver\u2019s licenses and urging them to end such policies.\n\nNineteen states, as well as the District of Columbia, currently allow illegal immigrants to obtain \u201cdrive-only\u201d licenses. Those jurisdictions are California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and the District of Columbia.\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.\n\nThe issue came into focus in Ohio on Aug. 29, 2026, when an Ohioan was killed in a car crash in Fulton County. 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\nOhio does not issue \u201cdrive-only\u201d licenses to illegal immigrants. The Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles maintains requirements limiting the issuance of Ohio driver\u2019s licenses to U.S. citizens and individuals who can prove lawful presence in the United States.\n\nThis letter comes after Husted wrote to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin on Sept. 3, 2026, urging the departments to prohibit states from issuing \u201cdrive-only\u201d driver\u2019s licenses to individuals who cannot demonstrate lawful immigration status.\n\n\u201cI write today in strong opposition to your state\u2019s policies that allow its motor vehicle system to issue driver\u2019s licenses to illegal immigrants. These licenses, commonly referred to as \u2018drive-only\u2019 licenses, provide road privileges to individuals who cannot demonstrate lawful presence in the United States, erode public trust, and put Americans at risk,\u201d wrote the lawmaker.\n\n\u201cNo state should allow illegal immigrants to obtain driver\u2019s licenses. Policies such as this not only put Americans at risk, but they continue to reward the behavior of impermissibly entering or remaining in the United States without legal status,\u201d he continued.\n\n\u201cIn the past eleven days, three Ohioans have been killed in car crashes caused by immigrants who illegally entered the United States,\u201d he added.\n\n\u201cIn the state of Ohio, individuals must provide proof of citizenship or lawful presence in the United States to receive any state identification card, including driver\u2019s licenses. Additionally, Ohio law requires the word \u2018noncitizen\u2019 to be printed on state identification cards and driver\u2019s licenses issued to noncitizens lawfully present in the United States,\u201d he wrote.\n\n\u201cI implore you to reverse course on these dangerous policies and instead adopt common-sense policies, like those in Ohio, to ensure that those obtaining driver\u2019s licenses are legally present in our nation,\u201d he concluded.", 1, "2026-09-10T09:25:58Z", "2026-09-10T09:27:09Z"]], "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-on-states-to-end-drive-only-licenses-for-illegal-immigrants/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7841410115361214, "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"}