A former Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles employee alleges that translator services are being used to improperly help non-English speaking immigrants obtain driver’s licenses without demonstrating adequate knowledge of traffic laws.
John Morin, who worked as a BMV license examiner for more than a decade, said he resigned after witnessing what he described as widespread cheating during written driver’s exams, Breitbart reported. Morin worked for the Maine BMV from 2013 until 2024.
He told Maine Wire that translator services routinely provided test answers directly to applicants rather than simply translating exam questions.
Morin said the alleged misconduct involved applicants who lacked English proficiency and, in some cases, an understanding of the rules of the road.
He said licenses were being issued even when applicants did not take a road test.
“I had to quit that job because of all of the cheating going on with people from overseas that was happening regularly,” Morin said.
He said he observed as many as 10 to 12 Class C learner’s permits being issued per day under those circumstances.
Morin said applicants using translators passed the written exam at a 100 percent rate.
He said English speaking applicants passed at a rate closer to 70 percent.
Morin said he believes applicants were effectively purchasing licenses rather than legitimate translation assistance.
He said he repeatedly raised concerns with supervisors about the alleged cheating.
Morin said those concerns were dismissed by BMV leadership.
He said he was disciplined after documenting suspected cheating and referring a case for criminal investigation.
“I was written up for writing him up,” Morin said, adding that he made repeated attempts over several years to address the issue internally. He said other examiners also raised similar concerns with supervisors.
“All examiners who deal with this in person day to day know that there is cheating going on,” Morin said.
Morin accused the Maine Secretary of State’s office, which oversees the BMV, of ignoring or covering up unsafe practices.
He said he observed the same approach under former Secretary of State Matt Dunlap and current Secretary of State Shenna Bellows.
State officials have denied the allegations, and said prior investigations found no substantive evidence of cheating. They have also said whistleblowers are not punished for reporting concerns.
Morin’s allegations come amid broader national debate over state policies that allow non citizens to obtain driver’s licenses.
Reports from multiple states have linked licensed non citizens to traffic accidents, some of them fatal.
Critics argue those incidents highlight public safety risks tied to licensing policies.
Supporters of expanded licensing access argue the policies improve road safety by ensuring drivers are trained and insured.
No criminal charges have been filed in connection with Morin’s allegations.
The Maine Secretary of State’s office has not announced any new investigation related to his claims.
Federal immigration agents have launched a series of armed raids across Minnesota aimed at detaining Somali nationals wanted on federal warrants, sparking political backlash and confusion in the Twin Cities region known locally as “Somali-land Minnesota.”
According to The Post Millennial’s Katie Daviscourt, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began the operation over the weekend, deploying roughly 100 federal agents from across the country to execute immigration warrants against Somali nationals with prior deportation orders or criminal convictions. Sources told the outlet several arrests have already been made.
One male suspect allegedly assaulted officers before being taken into custody. A previously deported woman fled into a residence before she and “several collateral arrests” were made, according to Daviscourt’s report, which included exclusive video of the raids.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara confirmed that masked individuals seen detaining residents in Somali neighborhoods were federal officers but warned that the department had not been briefed on the operation.
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