Legal Research

"Ohio BMV Cancelling Illegal Immigrant Vehicle Registrations"

Posted by Chuck Kallendorf: "Franklin County Magistrate Pamela Browning last Monday morning declined to grant a preliminary injunction against the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles to prevent them from cancelling vehicle registrations of nearly 45,000 cars & trucks largely driven by undocumented immigrants. Beginning yesterday, the Columbus Dispatch reported, it will be illegal for thousands of immigrants to drive on Ohio's roads. The BMV is canceling their vehicle registrations for failing to prove they are legal U.S. residents. Police can stop those driving with revoked registrations, issue tickets and seize license plates. Drivers who cannot provide adequate identification risk going to jail, with undocumented immigrants also potentially facing deportation.

"BMV changes to weed out fraudulent registrations began on Aug. 24," the article said, "the reforms being delayed for more than a year after former Public Safety Director Henry Guzman met with Latino business owners and then asked for improvements to the policy. BMV began a crackdown on Oct. 8, mailing out some 47,457 letters to those with questioned registrations instructing them to appear at BMV offices by yesterday and provide a state driver's license, ID number, or a Social Security number so their identities could be verified."

While the BMV's letter said that registrations would be cancelled as of Dec. 8th , the BMV decided to wait until yesterday to take the action to provide those affected with a full 60 days notice, spokeswoman Lindsay Komlanc said.

Magistrate Browning's ruling

The active links are available at the source site listed below.

Source: Cincinnati Law Library Blog, 10 December 2009

Full post as published by Stark County Law Library Blawg on December 10, 2009 (boomark / email).