Details about this story

• Source: Raleigh News & Observer
• Date: June 01, 2008
• URL: Read the story
• Bylines: Kristin Collins , David Raynor
• Topics: Courts , Immigration
• Data Types: State Data
• Description/Excerpt: States that deny licenses to their large illegal immigrant populations, such as California, typically have high rates of uninsured driving. About a quarter of drivers in California have no insurance. As the rules in North Carolina have tightened, sheriffs concerned about illegal immigration are setting up random license checkpoints and sometimes jailing immigrants for driving without licenses. Those who go to jail risk deportation. The number of charges for driving without a license is rising, and the share of Hispanics charged is soaring, according to a News & Observer analysis of data from the Administrative Office of the Courts. Hispanics were charged more than any other ethnic group, including whites, even though Hispanics make up less than 7 percent of the state's population. In 2007, 44 percent of charges were against Hispanics, up from 35 percent in 2003.