U.S. Border Control

Why North Carolina is a magnet for illegals

July 24, 2005

In explaining why North Carolina has one of the highest populations of illegal immigrants, it's often observed that aliens who are in the country illegally make their way to North Carolina for low-skilled jobs in agriculture or other labor-hungry sectors.

But many of them apparently come for another reason. They don't want to pick tomatoes. They want to pick up a driver's license because North Carolina makes it too easy for them to do so.

You don't even have to prove you're a legal resident.

While it's not shocking news that the Tar Heel state is too lax in its driver's licensing laws and their enforcement, a new study from the state auditor underscores the seriousness of the problem and the need for state officials to consider new measures and expedite reforms already in the pipeline.

As the report notes, North Carolina is one of 11 states that do not require proof a license applicant is in the country legally. It also is one of only a handful of states that still accept the federal Individual Taxpayer Identification Number in lieu of a Social Security number, even though it's well known that the tax number is much easier to get and offers illegal immigrants a convenient way to dodge more rigorous documentation. Among other problems, the audit also found that non-state employees sometimes serve as interpreters during license tests and that the Department of Motor Vehicles has too many one-person offices that pose security risks.

With passage of the federal Real ID Act in May, North Carolina has an added reason to tighten the loopholes. The act, part of the domestic security reforms designed to guard against future terrorist attacks, requires states to verify that all those who get a license are either U.S. citizens or in the country legally. However, the act doesn't take full effect for three years. North Carolina can't afford to wait that long to more forcefully address an issue that involves domestic security as well as a host of other law-enforcement issues. With an estimated 300,000 illegal immigrants already within its borders -- and more streaming in daily -- North Carolina legislators and transportation officials need to put an emergency brake on licensing procedures that invite abuse.