Driving toward residency in Tennessee
Road-test lines grow as license rules eased for illegal immigrants
By D.F. Weyermann
The Boston Globe, July 26, 2001
NASHVILLE -- E-mail bins overloaded this spring as Spanish radio stations across Tennessee sizzled with the news: Governor Don Sundquist had signed a law enabling undocumented immigrants to obtain driver's licenses without proving citizenship or legal residency.
''God has prepared a special place in heaven for that man,'' said Dilka Roman, state director for the League of United Latin American Citizens in Memphis.
Calling the law a ''present from God,'' immigrants have swamped license testing centers since it took effect last month. According to the Department of Safety, more than 30,000 Hispanics stood in line for licenses in the first four weeks, doubling the typical number of monthly applicants.