Help: Ticket for driving with another state's DL

Hey everyone, so here is the deal. My dad got into a car accident last night; he was not at fault. His California dl expired in December, but he has a legitimate Washing state dl. Nevertheless, the officer still gave him a ticket for being unlicensed. My dad told the officer that he had moved back to California about 2 months ago (which is passed the 10 day grace period). He is scheduled to go to court. Should we be worried about deportation?

The accident took place in Garden Grove (Orange County) California.
Here are a few more details. The car has a California license plate and is under my girlfriend’s name (She is a US citizen with Dl). Moreover, my dad is under her insurance as a second driver. Finally, my dad does not have a criminal record. He has gotten tickets for traffic violations, but those tickets were paid for and handled as the law dictates. Well, let me know what to expect out of this situation. Thanks.

Which police department gave him the ticket? A local sheriff county? Did they ask an immigration related question? Some Sheriff departments report people to the immigration, but the big police departments like LAPD don't do it.

In general, it shouldn't be a problem.

It was the garden grove (Orange County) police department. They did not ask any immigration related questions. She just wanted to know how long it had been since he had moved back to Los Angeles.

if he's going to traffic court you dont have to worry about it.

lol....He wrote his own ticket by answering that question.

for the 1 millionth time, you do not need to answer any question the police ask you besides your name.

i doubt that there will be a problem. just pay the fine and be done with it. the fact that he said that he moved back here 2 months ago might come back when he goes to court and who knows what'll happen with that.

i got a ticket for unlicensed driving once. I was respectful to the officer. When he asked why i didnt have a license, i simply stated that it was "a personal situation." he left it at that. when i went to court, the judge asked me if i was able to obtain a license, i replied "no." he then said "your fine is $$$." i paid the ticket and i was done with it.

My neighbor was in that situation. He got pulled over for speeding, got a ticket and a court date for not having a GA's DL so he took a lawyer with him. Nothing happened to him after the lawyer straightened things out expect some hefty fines, which is nothing compared to deportation... This same judge gave someone else 30 days to appear in court again with proof that they life in Wa or get a GA's DL. So, the moral of the story is... LAWYER LAWYER LAWYER

I wouldn't sweat it. He'll just get some sort of fine, and that's it. He should be alright.

Thanks guys. Unfortunately, we cannot afford a lawyer at the moment. However, we are able to provide proof of residents in Washington since we have family members that live there.

He has to appear at the West Justice Center in Westminster California (orange county). I hope everything goes well, since he has no criminal record and all of the paper work for the car and insurance is in order.

He is not going to drive until that ticket has been paid off, and he will try to stay in Los Angeles County as the law here is a bit more friendly than Orange County. We also got our story straight for when he starts driving after the ticket has been cleared. If he gets pulled over in the future, he will just say that he is visiting me for one week.

You don't need a story bro. Just tell him to not answer any questions.