You don't have to be an immigrant to be here legally ...
The Star Tribune (and many other papers) reports that: "the 11 states that issue driver's licenses to noncitizens are Maryland, Michigan, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Hawaii, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin."
Let me explain this slowly. You do not have to be a citizen or immigrant to be in the United States legally and wish to obtain a drivers license. There are about 600,000 foreign students in the United States who are not immigrants, but may want to obtain a drivers license. As well as students there are other exchange visitors (au pairs, scholars, journalists) and representatives of foreign institutions or governments who may reside in America without intending to live here.
Perhaps it's not clear to the Star Tribune, nor to Congress, but a driver's license is a document that proves people have met some minimum (and in Minnesota they really are minimum) standards of competence to drive on public roads.
An identification card is a card that proves you are who you say you are.
Those are two quite different things. They ought not to be conflated.
Posted by robe0419 at May 3, 2005 12:33 PM