SANTA ANA (AP) — Immigrants who are in the United States illegally are often called “undocumented” despite carrying a long list of papers: passports, consular ID cards, birth certificates from their home countries, and those of their children born here.The question remains which documents will constitute a golden ticket for them to be able to apply for long-awaited driver’s licenses in the Golden State next year.California officials are trying to strike a balance between having a secure license and making it accessible to immigrants who are currently prohibited from driving. The key is ensuring immigrants prove they are who they claim to be and preventing fraud without making the requirements so onerous that people give up on trying to get a license.“We can’t make it too restrictive,” said Jan Mendoza, a spokeswoman for the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles. “But we have to have the integrity of, this person is who they are and this person lives in California.”California has proposed allocating $67 million in next year’s budget to issue the licenses.
California weighs illegal immigrant license rules