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Fact check: Which states changed laws to allow undocumented immigrants driver's licenses between 2019 and 2025?
Executive Summary
Between 2019 and 2025, a small set of U.S. states enacted new laws or made substantive statutory changes that either newly allowed undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses or materially expanded access; the clearest group of states that enacted such laws for the first time in that window are New Jersey [1], New York [1], Massachusetts [2], Rhode Island [2], and Minnesota [3], while other states like Colorado made significant rule- and statute-level changes in 2024 that streamlined eligibility and documentation requirements for already-authorized licenses [4] [5] [6]. National tallies compiled through late 2024 and early 2025 count 19 states plus the District of Columbia that currently issue some form of driving authorization to undocumented residents, though the legal forms and restrictions vary from full standard licenses to limited driving cards or proof-of-driving authorizations [7] [8] [9].
1. What changed and who joined the list after 2018 — a short legal timeline that matters
State-by-state enactments are the definitive way to answer which jurisdictions changed their laws between 2019 and 2025. The most authoritative legislative summary compiled for this period identifies New Jersey and New York in 2019, Massachusetts and Rhode Island in 2022, and Minnesota in 2023 as the states that enacted laws during 2019–2025 to allow undocumented immigrants to obtain driving credentials [4]. These statutes represent initial legal authorizations in those states rather than mere administrative adjustments, and they align with contemporaneous press records confirming New Jersey’s 2019 signature by the governor [5]. That legislative timeline is central because older adopters—California, Connecticut, Illinois and others—enacted their laws from 2005–2015 and therefore fall outside the 2019–2025 window examined [4].
2. Colorado’s 2024 reforms — expansion or new authorization? Why the distinction matters
Colorado’s 2024 law did not create a brand-new authorization to issue licenses to undocumented immigrants but significantly altered eligibility and application procedures in ways that materially expanded access: it removed a two-year state tax-filing requirement prior to application and broadened accepted foreign identity documents, enabling immediate access for many applicants and an estimated 160,000 migrants [6] [10]. Policy trackers and reporting treat Colorado’s changes as a meaningful legal development in the 2019–2025 period because they reduced administrative barriers and changed who can realistically obtain a credential. Distinguishing initial enactments from later reforms is critical for understanding legal status versus practical accessibility, since some jurisdictions enacted rights years earlier but only implemented enabling administrative modifications in this window [6].
3. National picture: 19 states plus D.C., but not all laws are the same
Comprehensive media and organizational tallies through late 2024 and early 2025 report that 19 states and the District of Columbia now issue some form of driver’s license or driving authorization to undocumented immigrants [7] [8] [9]. However, this headline number masks substantial variation: some states issue full, standard driver’s licenses; others provide limited driving cards that cannot be used as federal identification; and some programs impose residency, documentation, or tax-filing prerequisites that restrict who actually benefits. This variation explains why advocacy groups and state legislatures often continue to debate follow-on rulemaking, with incremental reforms (like Colorado’s) producing near-term access gains even in states that previously allowed some form of license [8] [4].
4. Sources, verification, and competing framings you should expect in public debate
Official legislative records and state press releases provide the clearest evidence for which states enacted laws in specific years; secondary media accounts and legal briefs synthesize those actions into counts and narratives [5] [7]. Expect two competing framings: proponents emphasize safety and inclusion and count any jurisdiction issuing a driving credential, while opponents underscore differences between full licenses and restricted cards and treat administrative hurdles as de facto denials. Reporting that highlights the headline “19 states” figure is accurate as a snapshot, but the legislative timeline (who changed law when) requires parsing the enactment dates and statutory texts to identify the states that actually changed their statutes between 2019 and 2025 [8] [4].
5. Bottom line: the short list for 2019–2025 and where to look next
The best available legislative compilation identifies New Jersey [1], New York [1], Massachusetts [2], Rhode Island [2], and Minnesota [3] as states that enacted laws between 2019 and 2025 to allow undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses, with Colorado’s 2024 reforms representing a significant statutory/administrative expansion of eligibility rather than an initial authorization [4] [5] [6]. For ongoing accuracy, consult state legislative records and recent state-level rulemaking updates, since the substantive reach of each law depends on regulatory implementation and documentation policies that continue to evolve [10] [9].