Immigrants to Seek California Driver Licenses

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — California will start taking driver's license applications from the nation's largest population of immigrants in the country illegally.

The state Department of Motor Vehicles will start accepting applications for the new license Friday in a program aimed at boosting road safety and making immigrants' lives easier.

California expects to field 1.4 million applications for the distinctively-marked license in the first three years.

State officials say they can't predict how many people will line up immediately to apply, but the number of people making appointments for a license more than doubled when immigrants were allowed to sign up.

California is one of 10 states that license immigrants in the country illegally to drive.

(Story by: Amy Taxin, The Associated Press)