“No state should allow illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses.”
COLUMBUS – 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 “drive-only” driver’s licenses and urging them to end such policies.
Nineteen states, as well as the District of Columbia, currently allow illegal immigrants to obtain “drive-only” 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.
A “drive-only” license is a type of driver’s license issued by some states to individuals who cannot demonstrate lawful immigration status or provide a Social Security number.
The 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 “drive-only” license in Connecticut. Ochoa has been charged with aggravated vehicular homicide.
Ohio does not issue “drive-only” licenses to illegal immigrants. The Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles maintains requirements limiting the issuance of Ohio driver’s licenses to U.S. citizens and individuals who can prove lawful presence in the United States.
This 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 “drive-only” driver’s licenses to individuals who cannot demonstrate lawful immigration status.
“I write today in strong opposition to your state’s policies that allow its motor vehicle system to issue driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants. These licenses, commonly referred to as ‘drive-only’ licenses, provide road privileges to individuals who cannot demonstrate lawful presence in the United States, erode public trust, and put Americans at risk,” wrote the lawmaker.
“No state should allow illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s 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,” he continued.
“In the past eleven days, three Ohioans have been killed in car crashes caused by immigrants who illegally entered the United States,” he added.
“In 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’s licenses. Additionally, Ohio law requires the word ‘noncitizen’ to be printed on state identification cards and driver’s licenses issued to noncitizens lawfully present in the United States,” he wrote.
“I 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’s licenses are legally present in our nation,” he concluded.
The full letters are available here.