Majority of Californians oppose illegal immigrant driver's licenses

April 20, 2005

According to a February 2005 poll, a majority of Californians think it is best to prevent illegal immigrants from obtaining a driver's license. The Field Poll, an independent, non-partisan opinion poll, showed that 62 percent of the Californians surveyed rejected the idea, while 35 percent supported it.

A majority in both parties, 86 percent of Republicans and 56 percent of Democrats, would deny illegal immigrants the chance to gain driver's licenses. Three out of four white, non-Hispanics opposed the idea, whereas Latinos supported the issue two to one. Of those Californians of other racial and ethnic backgrounds, 77 percent rejected the idea.

The poll, which has a margin of error of around 4.1 percent, surveyed 506 California adults between Feb. 8 and Feb. 17.

A voter approved proposition in 1994 disabled illegal immigrants from applying for driver's licenses, which they had been able to do prior to the passage of Prop. 187. Former Gov. Gray Davis overturned the law a month before the October 2003 recall election by signing a bill allowing illegal immigrants the right to driver's licenses.

As part of his campaign promise, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger convinced the state legislature to undo Davis' new licensure law. State Sen. Gil Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, reintroduced his license bill this year, which Schwarzenegger vetoed last year because he said it didn't include adequate security provisions.

Schwarzenegger has suggested, however, that he would support a plan to issue a different kind of license that marked the driver as an illegal immigrant.

According to the recent poll, opinions are split down the middle - 49 percent say yes, 48 percent say no - about the plan to issue a license that would allow immigrants to drive but would identify them as not being legal citizens.

The Real ID bill, currently working through the U.S. Congress, would prohibit states, including California, from granting undocumented immigrants driver's licenses by requiring all states to verify that applicants for driver's licenses are American citizens or living in the country legally. Of those surveyed, 59 percent said they would endorse that kind of bill.

Those who are speaking out against the right to drive for undocumented immigrants say its a matter of principle and security concerns.

'If they are illegal, they shouldn't be here. That's the biggest issue,' said Mavis Bowes, member of the Truckee Tahoe Republican Women's Federation, who added that illegal immigrants are costing legal citizens expenses in education, medical funding and welfare.

'I don't mean to be mean,' she said. 'But these immigrants are causing real problems in our country.'

At Republican Sen. Dave Cox's Sacramento-area office, which serves Placer County, there is strong opposition to any legislation enabling illegal immigrants to have driver's licenses.

'There are a number of security concerns...,' said Cox's communications director Peter DeMarco. 'If you're an employer, you ask for a driver's license to verify work eligibility. If illegal immigrants get driver's license, there is no verification.'