A police department in southern Maine is seeing an “uptick” in the number of driver’s licenses issued by the Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) to individuals using the social security number “999-99-9999”.
“We’ve seen an uptick in [BMV] using 999-99-9999 for social security numbers,” wrote Darcie L. Valido, the Assistant Director of Operations for Sanford Regional Communications, in a May 23 email to various police departments in southern Maine.
In the email, which was obtained via a Freedom of Access Act request, and a phone interview, Valido said she sent the email because the bogus social security number can cause issues with the in-house police database.
That “heads up” email was received by law enforcement agencies throughout York County.
Valido was not aware of how or why the proxy number was linked to several bonafide Maine driver’s licenses.
Secretary of State Shenna Bellows (D), who is responsible for overseeing the BMV, did not respond to a request for comment about the “uptick” in proxy social security numbers that the Sanford PD has experienced.
Deputy Secretary of State Catherine Curtis, the director BMV, did not respond to a request for comment about the phony social security numbers.
[RELATED: York County Jail Hiring Sanford’s ‘New Arrivals’…]
It’s unclear exactly how individuals without valid social security numbers are obtaining Maine driver’s licenses — or whether they are being registered to vote.
In order to obtain a driver’s license in Maine, individuals are required by law to prove that they are a Maine resident, present in the U.S. lawfully, and provide two forms of identification.
“If your social security number is not on file with the Secretary of State, you must provide your social security number,” the BMV website states.
One potential explanation is that the Sanford PD just happens to be encountering an uptick in nonimmigrant visa-holders who have obtained driver’s licenses by providing an I-94 document, also known as the Arrival/Departure Record.
[RELATED: Homeland Secretary: Illegal Aliens Trying to “game” Asylum Rules…]
Jessica Vaughan, the director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies, said that the licenses linked to 999-99-9999 social security numbers could possibly have been provided to such non-citizen visa-holders admitted to the U.S. legally.
“They are lawfully admitted and would not need a SSN in most cases,” Vaughan said.
However, the lack of an official explanation from Bellows or the BMV has some Republicans concerned Maine is aiding illegal immigration and potentially allowing non-citizens to vote in Maine’s elections.
Maine Republican Party Executive Director Jason Savage told the Maine Wire that Attorney General Aaron Frey (D) should launch an investigation into whether illegal aliens are obtaining Maine driver’s licenses and registering to vote.
“This revelation is deeply disturbing. It suggests Maine’s Secretary of State is aiding people who are not legally present to obtain documents, including ID and driver’s licenses,” Savage said in a statement.
“With a wide open southern border and waves of illegal immigrants coming to Maine, this is a recipe for disaster,” said Savage.
“Maine’s Attorney General must investigate this issue immediately and provide full transparency,” he said. “Shenna Bellows needs to be replaced with a Secretary of State that respects the rule of law and U.S. Constitution by the next Maine Legislature.”
Although Maine law currently prohibits the BMV from giving driver’s licenses or IDs to illegal aliens, several other states — including Massachusetts, New York, and California — will provide licenses regardless of immigration status.
In January, Maine’s Speaker of the House, far left Democrat Rep. Rachel Talbot Ross, introduced a bill (LD 1138) that would have removed the legal requirement that Maine driver’s licenses only be given to those present in the U.S. legally.
Later in the session, however, the bill was pulled at Talbot Ross’s request.
“The allegations raised here give me serious concerns about what is happening behind the scenes and in the dark at the Secretary of State’s office,” said Rep. Billy Bob Faulkingham (R-Winter Harbor), the top Republican in the House of Representatives.
“I’m alarmed that once again Democrat-appointed Secretary of State Shenna Bellows is seemingly creating new laws out of thin air,” said Faulkingham.
Although Democrats and progressive groups have long maintained that non-citizens are not voting in U.S. elections, a study conducted by the nonprofit Just Facts estimated that as many as 2-5 million non-citizens were registered to vote as of 2022.
