Depending on where you live, it is not always required to have a Social Security Number in order to get a driver’s license. 13 states and the District of Columbia allow undocumented immigrants to get a driver’s license without a social security number. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been using facial recognition to scan driver’s license photos in some states.
Recently ICE bought North Carolina state driver’s license data to track undocumented immigrants and to identify and locate undocumented immigrants living in the state. According to an internal ICE memo,
Cooperating with DMV to identify all denied license renewal applications (due to lacking proof of residency) would provide a significant foreign-born target base which could be vetted further to identify those with prior criminal convictions.
There are no federal policies or guidance that ICE must follow in accessing or reviewing state driving records. Illinois and other states have turned down ICE requests to review driver’s license data.
United States immigration laws can be extraordinarily complicated. The attorneys at Chicago’s Godoy Law Office fight for the rights of immigrants in Illinois and help immigrants navigate the complex and numerous immigration policies, procedures, and regulations. If you need help with an immigration issue, please contact our office at 855-554-6369.
