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 To handle the crush of new applicants, the Department of Motor
Vehicles created special processing centers at four former
businesses: a grocery store, a large dry cleaner, a movie theater
and a restaurant.
As of 3 p.m. local time, some 11,000 people had applied for licenses
under the law statewide, said DMV spokeswoman Jessica Gonzalez.
The law's backers say they expect an estimated 1.4 million driving
age immigrants to apply for licenses over the next three years.
Between 2 million and 3 million unauthorized immigrants are believed
to live in California, making them the nation's largest such
population.
Democratic Governor Jerry Brown's signing of the law in 2013 and its
support from some Republican lawmakers marked a significant shift in
policy toward immigrants in California.
 "When he signed it, he sent a message that California is leading the
way in integrating immigrants into our society, into our
communities, it recognizes their hard work and their sacrifices in
contributing to California society," said Democratic Assemblyman
Luis Alejo, who sponsored the bill.
California joins nine other U.S. states and the District of Columbia
that also allow unauthorized immigrants to apply for driver's
licenses.
To meet the concerns of state law enforcement and others, the
licenses have a marker that says "federal limits apply," which
Gonzalez said prevents them from being used to board an airline and
for federal purposes.
But opponents say California and other states are overstepping their
bounds.
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"Certainly the states have become catalysts for undermining U.S.
immigration law," said Ira Mehlman, spokesman for the Federal for
American Immigration Reform which calls for restrictions on
immigration.
The DMV has no estimate for how many undocumented immigrants have
been driving without licenses.
David Cisneros, 46, a security guard from Mexico, said that over the
years police had impounded three of his cars after traffic stops
because he was in the United States as an undocumented immigrant
with no license.
On Friday, he walked out of a DMV processing center in San Jose with
an application.
"This is good for everybody and the DMV makes money too," he said.
(Additional reporting by Emmett Berg in San Jose; Editing by David
Gregorio)
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