Husted calls for national ban on driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants

“I urge you to act swiftly to ensure that no other family is devastated by the consequences of these failed policies.” COLUMBUS – Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) today wrote to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin urging the departments to prohibit states from issuing “drive-only” driver’s licenses to individuals who cannot demonstrate lawful immigration status. On Aug. 29, 2026, an Ohioan was killed in a car crash in Fulton County, Ohio. The other driver, Washington G. Naula Ochoa, was an illegal immigrant who had obtained a “drive-only” license in Connecticut. Ochoa has been charged with aggravated vehicular homicide. A “drive-only” license is a type of driver’s license issued by some states to individuals who cannot demonstrate lawful immigration status or provide a Social Security number. Ohio’s Bureau of Motor Vehicles has maintained requirements limiting the issuance of Ohio driver’s licenses to U.S. citizens and lawful residents. In his letter, Husted urged the departments to establish the same standard nationwide as Ohio and prevent states from issuing driver’s licenses to individuals who cannot demonstrate lawful immigration status. “I write to urge your departments to take swift and decisive action to prohibit state Departments of Motor Vehicles from issuing driver’s licenses to individuals who cannot provide documentation of their lawful presence in the United States, commonly referred to as ‘drive-only’ licenses. Currently, nineteen states and the District of Columbia allow illegal immigrants to obtain ‘drive-only’ driver’s licenses,” wrote the lawmaker. “On August 29, 2026, an Ohio resident tragically lost their life following a car accident in which Washington G. Naula Ochoa, an illegal immigrant who entered the United States without inspection, failed to yield at a stop sign,” he continued. “Despite being illegally present in the United States, Washington G. Naula Ochoa obtained a ‘drive-only’ license from the state of Connecticut,” he wrote. “In the state of Ohio, individuals must provide documentary proof of citizenship or lawful presence in the United States to receive any state identification card, including driver’s licenses,” he wrote. “Federal regulations can build on this work and prohibit states from issuing driver’s licenses of any kind to illegal immigrants, and incentivize states to follow Ohio’s lead in designating noncitizen status on driver’s licenses granted to lawfully present noncitizens,” he continued. “The ‘drive-only’ initiatives for illegal immigrants championed by state governments across the country are not merely lapses in judgment; they are extensions of failed immigration policies that place Americans at risk. Thank you again for your commitment to protecting the American people. I urge you to act swiftly to ensure that no other family is devastated by the consequences of these failed policies,” he concluded. The full letter is available here .