Some say illegal immigrants can get licenses too easily in Maine
Maria Sacchetti

PORTLAND, Maine - Authorities nabbed the first group in September 2006, illegal immigrants from Poland and Peru cruising down Washington Avenue, all of them in town to apply for Maine driver’s licenses. The next month, authorities arrested another group. Last month, they caught a third.

Maine is the only state in New England in which illegal immigrants can still get driver’s licenses, and federal officials fear that Vacationland is becoming a destination of a different sort: The go-to state for unlawful immigrants seeking state identification that would make it easier to live, work, and drive in the United States.

Now pressure is intensifying on Maine to tighten its rules, following Michigan, Oregon, and most US states with tougher requirements. During last month’s arrests, a New Jersey driver reportedly told authorities that illegal immigrants know that a Maine license is an easy catch.

“On every single level, it gets to Mainers,â€