Republican Senators Introduce Bill to Stop States Giving Driver's Licenses to Illegal Immigrants

Republican senators introduced legislation this week blocking certain federal funds from flowing to states that issue driver's licenses to illegal immigrants.

Senator Marsha Blackburn said Thursday that their coalition of GOP senators introduced the Stop Greenlighting Driver Licenses for Illegal Immigrants Act.

The bill targets sanctuary states that allow illegal immigrants to get driver's licenses despite absence of proof that they live legally in the U.S., reported The Epoch Times.

Apart from Blackburn, GOP Sen. Ted Cruz, Tom Cotton, Joni Ernst, Steve Daines, Jim Inhofe and Mike Braun were part of the group to introduce the bill.

This bill serves as the latest indicator in the differences between Republicans and President Joe Biden's views on illegal immigration, noted Fox News.

Blackburn Urges Following Proper Legal Processes

In a statement, Blackburn said, "No town in America is secure from criminals and terrorists if our borders aren't policed and federal immigration laws aren't fully enforced."

She stressed the importance of rule of law, saying, "We should not reward illegal aliens with driver licenses when they fail to follow the proper legal process."

Colorado Rep. Ken Buck, was also introducing companion legislation in the House in February 2020. However, the move died in the Democrat-controlled Congress where it did not receive a vote.

In a January 28 statement, Buck said he was planning to reintroduce the bill on Monday.

The Colorado representative also recalled the "senseless death" of Sean Buchanan which he believed as caused by the green-light sanctuary laws.

"Sean was a loving father of five from Colorado Springs who was struck and killed by an illegal immigrant who was driving under a suspended state-issued driver license," Buck said.

He then went on to say that Buchanan's death could have been "completely preventable."

He urged not to "reward" criminal behavior by allowing sanctuary states to retain their driver's license issuances to illegal immigrants.

What Does the Act Entail?

Under the proposed act, there will be a halt in funding from the Department of Justice grant funding, under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program to states that defy the immigration law.

In a year, the program usually gives over $250 million to state and local criminal justice efforts.

Blackburn said that in the fiscal year 2020, states that gave illegal immigrants driver's licenses received more than $53 million under the program.

States that don't comply with the provisions will also be rendered ineligible to receive future funding from the program.

According to CBS 19, 15 states and the District of Columbia allows illegal immigrants to have driver's licenses. Some of the states on this list are California, Oregon, New Mexico, Nevada and Washington.

These states issue licenses if an applicant can provide ID like a foreign birth certificate or passport, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

A state that is particularly targeted in this effort is Oregon that passed the "Driver License for All" law, which no longer necessitates proof of legal residence in the U.S. to get a driver's license.

However, given Biden's immigration agenda, the bill may not get signed even if it gets passed in the House and Senate.