Md. Immigrants Sue Over License Process

For instance, Ana Lucila Gutierrez, 36, who moved from Panama to Laurel 10 months ago, alleges in the suit that an MVA examiner in Waldorf refused to accept her rental contract as proof that she lived in Maryland because her landlord lives in the same house -- a common arrangement in immigrant communities.

Gutierrez's husband, Eduardo Enrique Miranda Martinez, said examiners at the same office refused to accept his Panamanian driver's license even though it was accompanied by a translation from the Panamanian consulate.

State law states only that a foreign driver's license must come with a certified translation.

"The examiner said the translation had to come directly from the department of transportation in Panama," said Martinez, an auto mechanic. "It's very hard because the companies I want to work for won't hire me if I don't have a license. And I can't drive my kids to school -- can't even drive them to the doctor if they're sick. I worry a lot about it."

The lawsuit also alleges that the MVA regularly turns downs applicants who present passports without a current visa stamp -- even though state law does not require such stamps.

Similarly, the plaintiffs say, the MVA routinely refuses to consider school records if they encompass fewer than three years of study, and driver's licenses from other states if not accompanied by driving records -- even though neither restriction is specified under the law.

Young declined to comment on the lawsuit until MVA officials had time to review it.

However, he said the agency "follows the statute and regulations" and added that "the MVA has had an ongoing dialogue with CASA and legislators and various representatives of the Hispanic community" on the issues.

But Leighton said she had lost patience after six months of negotiating with MVA officials. "It was too time-consuming, and it was doing nothing to force the agency to enforce its own laws," she said.