The DMV went out of its way to hire 1,000 new employees to handle the surge in applications. The agency also opened four new centers and made office hours more flexible.
Almost 50 percent of all California driver’s licenses issued in 2015 went to illegal immigrants, according to recent state reports, wrapping up the first year of a state-wide program designed to provide Department of Motor Vehicle services to those without citizenship.
In total, California issued 605,000 driver’s licenses to illegals a year after the program started Jan 2, 2015, which is far more than the anticipated number, the Orange County Register reports. The program is expected to cost the state $141 million over a period of three years.
There have been 830,000 applications from illegals, based on numbers from Dec. 31, 2015.
The program, one of the biggest in the DMV’s history, was created by Assembly Bill 60 in 2013 and courted massive opposition at the time from groups angry at the suggestion illegals should have the same rights as citizens.
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