The Maine driver's license debacle
Ease in obtaining ID a concern for many
By Sonja Fridell
news@seacoastonline.com
December 16, 2007 6:30 AM

Don Cookson says he has never received so many phone calls during his tenure as spokesman for the Maine secretary of state's office.

"People are disturbed that illegals may be able to obtain a (driver's) license," said Cookson. "There is a lot of animosity towards the state."

Maine was cast into the spotlight for its questionable driver's license regulations after minivans of Polish immigrants started showing up at Maine DMV stations to obtain driver's licenses. They came from New York City because Maine does not require drivers to prove their residency in the state.

There are seven other states that do not require residency to obtain a driver's license: Hawaii, Maryland, Michigan, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Washington.

If an applicant does not have a social security number, they are required to have official documentation providing an explanation. However, the Social Security Administration is reluctant to give out that information.

There are currently 2,521 active Maine driver's licenses that do not have valid social security numbers. The DMV does not know how many of those people are illegal immigrants or legal guests with visas.

The Secretary of State's Office responded by putting together a working group to examine the laws behind granting driver's licenses and ID cards in the state.

The study was released on Dec. 5 and concluded that "Maine issues driver's licenses and non-driver identification cards only to Maine residents."

There are a few proposed exceptions for granting licenses to non-residents, which include college students, military personnel and their families.

Kittery Police Chief Edward Strong has seen numerous issues related to Maine driver's licenses: Illegal immigrants traveling up from Massachusetts to obtain licenses; Massachusetts residents obtaining Maine licenses and registering their cars in Maine for lower insurance rates; and Maine IDs with out-of-state addresses, something that is legal in the current system.

Strong is looking forward to the new legislation. "You should have to show that you're a resident of Maine and a U.S. citizen to get a driver's license," he said.

Across the border, Portsmouth Deputy Police Chief Len DiSesa has not come across any of the same issues with New Hampshire driver's licenses.

"To my knowledge, we haven't encountered any of that," said DiSesa.

To obtain a driver's license in New Hampshire, two proofs of residency are required. Applicants must also show two proofs of identity, which are checked against the Social Security and Homeland Security databases for red flags.

The New Hampshire DMV takes another step in ensuring residency by issuing a temporary license. Mailing the official license out a few days later ensures that the driver lives where they say they do.

Assistant Commissioner of the N.H. Department of Safety Earl M. Sweeney believes that residency is imperative for securing a driver's license.

"We think that it's really important that if a police officer finds you wandering on the street after an accident that we have a way to find your home," Sweeney said. "We also want to know that you're in the country legally. If you're a non-citizen, you have to bring in a visa or customs documents to show you're here legally."

Sweeney recognizes that a driver's license is regarded as an important form of identification and fears that the Maine license is losing credibility.

"There is a feeling that Maine is so loose in their requirements in how they issue licenses that, frankly, there are people who don't put a lot of stock in a Maine license," said Sweeney.

In the Maine Secretary of State's office, Don Cookson sees Maine's issues in a broader light.

"If an illegal alien had never been allowed in the state, we wouldn't have the issue of determining if they are legal or not," said Cookson. "The state of Maine is doing its part to stiffen the criteria for obtaining a license. I haven't seen any changes of how visas are secured or how our borders are protected."

According to Cookson, the legislation that came from the working group report, LD 812 and LD 209, will be debated and possibly enacted during this legislative session due to the "nature of the issue."

As for all of those phone calls that Cookson keeps receiving, "I wish every call that came in about Maine's driver's licenses was followed up by a call to their U.S. senators or representatives. It seems that illegal immigration in the U.S. is a problem that no one can solve."
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