California issues 650,000 driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants in 2015

Since California implemented Assembly Bill 60 last January, an estimated 650,000 driver’s licenses were issued to undocumented immigrants in the Golden State, with 400,000 of these licenses issued during the first six months of 2015.

Immigrant rights groups and traffic safety experts have hailed the law because, they say, it means more drivers will be properly trained, licensed and more likely to have car insurance.

"We believe that this new law increases safety on California roads by putting licensed drivers behind the steering wheel," Artemio Armenta, a spokesman for the California Department of Motor Vehicles, told the Los Angeles Times.

But some have complained that under the bill, many applicants have had to wait longer to get an appointment. And even with an appointment, they have to wait in long lines.

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