Granting driver’s licenses to illegal aliens endangers the safety and interests of lawful citizens, Ohio Senator Jon Husted (R-Ohio) warned 19 governors and the mayor of Washington, D.C. Wednesday, noting how three Ohioans were recently killed by illegal alien drivers.
Each of the 20 U.S. jurisdictions allow illegal aliens to obtain “drive-only” driver’s licenses – a practice that has proven deadly, Husted wrote in his letters, providing details of recent example:
“Just last month, 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. Mr. Ochoa had been issued a ‘drive-only’ driver’s license from the state of Connecticut despite his unlawful status.”
“In the past eleven days, three Ohioans have been killed in car crashes caused by immigrants who illegally entered the United States,” the senator explained, calling on the governors and mayor to put an end to their policies that put the interests of illegal aliens above those of lawful residents:
“No state should allow illegal immigrants to obtain driver's licenses. Policies such as this not only put Americans at risk, but they continue to reward the behavior of impermissibly entering or remaining in the United States without legal status.”
Independent news reports cited by Husted confirm and add details of how the three Ohioans lost their lives to illegal alien drivers.
Austin J. Karr Grimes was killed when Ochoa, armed with a Connecticut-issued license despite being subject to a Homeland Security detainer request, ran a stop sign, ABC affiliate WTVG reported on August 30:
“Naula Ochoa’s truck entered the intersection and struck a southbound SUV driven by Austin J. Karr Grimes, 29, of Fayette.”
…..
“Naula Ochoa was arrested and charged with vehicular homicide and a stop sign violation.”
Brenda Watson, a 50-year-old woman from Brown County, was killed on September 2 when an illegal alien driving a tractor-trailer truck hit her vehicle head-on when he was driving on the wrong side of the road, WLWT 5 reported at the time:
“The semi driver, identified as 39-year-old Manjit Singh, has been charged with aggravated vehicular homicide. According to the criminal complaint, a witness stated she saw Singh traveling at an ‘excessive speed’ and that he had ‘ample time and space to merge back into the northbound lane.’”
Like Ochoa, Singh had a Homeland Security detainer requesting local law enforcement to hold him for release to federal immigration authorities.
On Sunday, 23-year-old Cameron Lyon of Caledonia was killed and his fiancée was injured by an illegal alien driver in another head-on crash, WBNS reported Wednesday:
“Fairfield County Sheriff Alex Lape said the driver arrested after a fatal crash over the weekend on U.S. Route 33 was living in the United States illegally.”
….
“The Ohio State Highway Patrol said 33-year-old Alvaro Uriber-Gonzalez, of Columbus, was driving east on Route 33 when he went into the westbound lanes and struck another car driven by 23-year-old Cameron Lyon, of Caledonia.”
Sheriff Lape said that U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) has been notified of the illegal alien’s arrest. Alcohol is a suspected factor in the crash.
“I implore you to reverse course on these dangerous policies and instead adopt common-sense policies, like those in Ohio, to ensure that those obtaining driver's licenses are legally present in our nation,” Sen. Husted urges in his letters to the senators and mayor.
In Ohio, proof of citizenship or lawful presence in the United States is required to qualify for any state identification card, including driver’s licenses. Ohio law also requires that the word "noncitizen" be printed on state identification cards and driver's licenses issued to noncitizens lawfully present in the United States.
The 20 jurisdictions providing driver’s licenses to illegal aliens receiving Sen. Husted’s letter include:
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Hawaii
- Illinois
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- Nevada
- Oregon
- Rhode Island
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- Washington, D.C.
