State senator files bill to prevent illegal immigrants from getting driver's licenses

ATLANTA — State Sen. Josh McKoon has filed a bill that would stop illegal immigrants from getting a driver’s license in Georgia.

The bill refers specifically to people in the U.S. illegally or under deferred status, and does not rule out all non-citizens.

Currently in Georgia, non-citizens can get driver’s licenses as long as they prove they have a lawful presence in the United States and can show a valid immigration document. McKoon said that policy could be a threat to state security.

“I think we need to confer and have Georgia law meet up in such a way that will prevent that from happening.” McKoon said.

McKoon said the bill’s timing is due to the fact that President Barack Obama is expected to announce soon that more non-citizens will get the OK to stay in the U.S., which would defer their deportation.

That means hundreds of thousands of people in Georgia would potentially be eligible for driver’s licenses and current state law would require the Department of Driver Services to furnish them.

Immigration lawyer Charles Kuck said McKoon’s bill is unconstitutional and would be struck down by the courts, just like a similar bill in Arizona.

“We’ll just bring it to the courts and the courts will decide and we’ll win and Georgia will once again be embarrassed,” Kuck said. “This is a publicity stunt and nothing more.”

Kuck said that giving non-citizens driver’s licenses actually improves security, not only for the state, but the nation.

“This makes America stronger, by identifying people who are in the United States,” Kuck said. “They’ll take their finger prints, they’ll have their IDs. They’ll know where they live and it will make it easier to catch the bad people.”

The legislature convenes under the Gold Dome on Jan. 12.

WSBTV