Stricter ID Checks Now Required for Texas Vehicle Registrations

The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has implemented stricter identification requirements for vehicle registration and renewal,  a sudden change that could affect undocumented residents’ ability to legally own vehicles.

Effective Nov. 18, applicants must present approved government-issued photo IDs, including a Texas driver’s license, an unexpired U.S. passport, a Texas License To Carry, or identification issued by the U.S. military, Department of Homeland Security, Citizenship and Immigration Services, or Department of State, according to The Texas Tribune.

Licensed vehicle dealers were notified of the change on Nov. 19.

A DMV spokesperson told The Texas Tribune that the guidance is “intended to ensure the validity of identification documents required as part of the state’s vehicle registration process.”

The move has drawn praise from Rep. Brian Harrison, R-Midlothian, who has long criticized the DMV’s registration policies. He argued that undocumented immigrants had contributed to higher car insurance premiums and increased road danger.

Harrison said, “I was outraged when I learned from a source that it was happening, and of course, I dug in on my own [and] independently verified this was going on… I was the only elected Republican in Texas calling for this, to the best of my knowledge. The only one.” 

Emily Heger, Texas A&M law professor and director of the Immigrant Rights Clinic, highlighted that the change may affect asylum applicants and lapsed DACA recipients who live, work, and pay taxes in Texas. Similarly, Alycia Castillo of the Texas Civil Rights Project noted, “Every Texan is going to be damaged by this cruel practice that was just meant to harm immigrants.”

Texas is home to an estimated 1.7 million undocumented immigrants, many of whom rely on cars for daily life in a largely car-dependent state.