State suspends five after illegal driver's licenses issued

ATLANTA - The Department of Motor Vehicle Safety said Friday it had suspended five employees at an office north of Atlanta after an investigation found illegal immigrants were issued driver&#39;s licenses, apparently in exchange for bribes. <br> <br> The department said it was still investigating to determine how many licenses and identification cards were issued illegally. Only U.S. citizens and legal immigrants can get driver&#39;s licenses in Georgia. <br> <br> Two other people were arrested on bribery charges, the department said. It did not release the names of those arrested or of the five screeners who were placed on administrative leave. <br> <br> The motor vehicle department said it was canceling the licenses that had been issued illegally at the office, in Sandy Springs in north Atlanta, and was alerting law enforcement to watch for illegal licenses. <br> <br> The Department of Motor Vehicle Safety employs 344 screeners statewide and 15 at the Sandy Springs office, spokeswoman Susan Sports said. <br> <br> The five screeners were suspended after department investigators were alerted in October to irregularities in the way licenses and ID cards were being processed at the Sandy Springs office. More suspensions are possible, Sports said. <br> <br> ``We&#39;re confident that we&#39;ve gotten to the base of it,&#39;&#39; she said. ``We&#39;ll know more next week. But we&#39;re confident the people involved have been put on administrative leave.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The employees could be fired, she said. <br> <br> Hispanic advocates want to expand Georgia law to allow licenses for illegal immigrants, arguing they could then buy auto insurance and cut premiums for all drivers by reducing the number of wrecks with uninsured motorists. <br> <br> Opponents say they doubt illegal immigrants would buy insurance, and they argue the immigrants would use licenses to access services to which they are not entitled. <br> <br> The Legislature said last year it would create a commission to study the issue, but the commission never met. At least one conservative legal group promised a fight if legislators ever push to expand the law.