Immigration Law Toughens License ID Requirements in Colorado

VIA CBS4

DENVER
New immigration laws in Colorado have made it more difficult for some people to prove their identity and get a driver’s license. The Colorado Department of Revenue
has interpreted the new law to mean that passports are not an
acceptable as a form of identification by themselves when issuing
driver’s licenses in the state.

The new rules, in combination
with old laws about birth certificates have created challenges for
people like Anne Sample who lost her wallet.

Because her birth
certificate was issued by a city, and not a state or county, the
workers would not accept that as a form of identification.

Sample is now waiting for a new birth certificate from the state and county where she was born.

Others have been turned away when using a passport as a form of identification at the DMV.

“The
reality is that is a premiere document used by the federal government
to alert everyone to the fact that you are who you are,” said Maureen
Farrell of the Colorado Center on Law and Policy.

“It came to
our attention that passports were issued in names other than an
individual’s full legal name,” said Michael Cooke, director of the
Colorado Department of Revenue. “The law requires that I prove lawful
presence and use full legal names and if a passport doesn’t get there,
I’m going to have to ask for something else.”

Click here for a list of the driver’s license identification requirements in Colorado.