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People attend a public hearing Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, at the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles in Austin.<\/p>\n
Alex Driggars\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
Dozens of small business owners and local officials warned state regulators Wednesday that proposed changes to Texas car registration identification rules<\/a> would slash sales, cost jobs and push customers into the shadows, testifying overwhelmingly against the plan at a public hearing in Austin.<\/p>\n The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles is seeking to tighten identification requirements<\/a> to title a vehicle or renew a registration, a move that would make it effectively impossible for Texans without legal immigration status to register a car. While the proposal is popular among some voters, sentiment at Wednesday\u2019s hearing was overwhelmingly negative, with more than 40 people testifying in opposition before a packed room at the agency\u2019s headquarters.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Under the proposed rules, anyone registering a vehicle would be required to present an unexpired REAL ID-compliant driver\u2019s license or identification card; an unexpired U.S. passport or a foreign passport with a valid immigrant visa or permanent resident card; or a current Texas handgun license. Registration renewals, including online renewals, would also require proof of one of those documents.<\/p>\n Because Texans without legal status cannot obtain the types of identification outlined in the proposal, small business owners said many customers would no longer be able to purchase vehicles or obtain insurance. \/ Small business owners said the changes would hit auto dealers, insurance agents and title transfer specialists particularly hard, especially those serving Texas\u2019 large Hispanic population.<\/p>\n In testimony at Wednesday’s hearing, Dallas auto dealer Octavio Vasquez argued that it shouldn\u2019t be the job of an auto dealer to enforce immigration law.<\/p>\n \u201cMy job is: Sell the car, collect the money, submit the (tax) money to the state,\u201d Vasquez said. \u201cWe don\u2019t care if they carry papers. That\u2019s none of my business.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Vasquez was among several small businesses owners who said they have seen a dramatic decline in sales since November when TxDMV quietly\u00a0sent interim guidance to counties<\/a> with more restrictive identification standards.\u00a0The agency, which is now seeking to make the rules permanent, issued the guidance after state Rep. Brian Harrison, R-Midlothian, pressured the department<\/a> to \u201cimmediately issue rules to stop illegal aliens from registering vehicles in Texas,\u201d Hearst Newspapers previously reported.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n