Last week, State Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, filed a bill that would require Texans to show proof of citizenship before they can register to vote. Voting-rights experts warn the proposal will disenfranchise low-income and minority voters.
Although the East Texas Republican’s Senate voter ID legislation, Senate Bill 16, has sparked plenty of outrage, another, lesser-known bill he filed in January also is raising red flags with civil-rights advocates.
Hughes’ Senate Bill 964 would require Texas to issue different driver’s licenses to citizens and foreigners residing in the state. In the latter case, the IDs would “display the word “NONCITIZEN” on the front, according to the proposal. Although it’s explicitly illegal to issue Texas driver’s licenses to undocumented migrants, foreigners residing in the state can acquire them.
Hughes’ bill also would require all noncitizens residing in Texas be issued special certificates to “clearly distinguish” them from U.S. citizens.
Advocates say the legislation is another effort to demonize migrants as the Trump administration pursues cruel hardline policies aimed at shutting down both legal and illegal immigration. Last week, the White House, without notice, revoked the legal status of 530,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela legally residing and working in the U.S. Immigrant-rights advocate and former Austin City Council communications director Sophia Mirto said Hughes’ bill paints a target on the back of legal immigrants, potentially exposing them to harassment.
“One of my best friends is [here] on a green card,” Mirto told the Current earlier this week. “She’s white, blonde, blue eyes, so I feel safer about her driving. She takes a lot of road trips, but I would feel really concerned if she had a marker on her license, gets pulled over, and then is suddenly a second-class citizen.”
It’s unclear how much traction SB 964 will gain during the current legislative session.
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This article appears in Mar 19 – Apr 1, 2025.
