Which specific 19 states (and territories) currently issue licenses to undocumented immigrants and what are the statutory citations for each?

1. The 19 states named by multiple trackers

The states most consistently identified as issuing licenses or cards to undocumented residents are California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Virginia and Washington — a list repeated in multiple reports and media accounts alongside the District of Columbia ^{[1] [3] [5]}. These jurisdictions enacted laws or policies over the last two decades that allow otherwise-eligible state residents to obtain driving credentials without proof of lawful immigration status; advocacy groups such as NILC maintain tables and maps cataloguing those enactments ^{[2] [5]}.

2. Why the exact statute numbers are hard to quote from the supplied reporting

The supplied sources include high-level lists, maps and summary tables but the excerpts do not contain the individual statutory citations or bill numbers for each state law; NILC’s table is explicitly described as listing bill numbers, dates signed and effective dates, yet those details were not included in the snippets provided here ^[2]. NCSL’s interactive map and compilation likewise summarize which states permit licenses but the excerpted material does not show the precise code sections ^[4], so reproducing statute-by-statute citations is not possible from the documents at hand.

3. Where to find the statutory citations (and why to prefer primary sources)

For authoritative statutory citations, the NILC table and NCSL map are the most convenient secondary compilations and typically link to the enabling bills and state code sections; researchers should consult NILC’s “State Laws Providing Access to Driver’s Licenses or Cards” and NCSL’s “States Offering Driver’s Licenses to Immigrants” pages for bill numbers and links to state codes ^{[2] [4]}. After locating the bill number or code cross-reference in those compilations, the definitive text and citation should be confirmed on each state’s legislative or administrative code website because state implementation language and effective dates can vary ^[2].

4. Political churn and caveats: changes, reciprocal limits, and territory distinctions

Reporting shows the landscape is fluid: some Republican-led states have adopted laws invalidating out‑of‑state licenses issued exclusively to undocumented immigrants (Newsweek’s 2025 reporting cites Tennessee’s HB 749 as an example), and other states have moved to restrict recognition of such credentials even while allowing in-state issuance ^[1]. Compilations also differ on whether to count the District of Columbia and U.S. territories; some trackers list Puerto Rico or treat D.C. separately, and historical counts (e.g., 19 states plus D.C. and Puerto Rico in some 2023–2025 summaries) depend on whether special driver cards or limited-purpose “privilege” cards are included ^{[6] [3]}.

5. Bottom line and recommended next step for statutory citations

The available reporting and advocacy tables consistently identify the same group of roughly 19 states (listed above) and D.C. as jurisdictions that issue licenses or driving cards to undocumented residents ^{[1] [3] [5]}, but the supplied excerpts do not provide the statute numbers required to answer the question with legal citations. The next step to get statutory citations is to consult NILC’s full table and NCSL’s state pages (which include bill numbers and links) and then open each cited law on the relevant state legislature or code website to record the precise statutory section and any rules implementing the statute ^{[2] [4]}.