How can my immigrant friend get his driver's permit without passport?

OKAY. Here is the story. He immigrated from Romania when he was very young. His mother lives on the other side of the USA and refuses to send him his passport, which he needs to get his driver's permit and later his license. She will NOT send it to him. What can he do?
Additional Details
OKAY! Sorry people. We got things messed up but he clarified for me. What actually is happening is that he IS A CITIZEN of the United States. However, he was BORN in Romania so he does not have his birth certificate. To prove that he came from Romania, they want his passport so that he can show this since he does have a birth certificate.

Chuckles

All he needs is a valid Social Security Card and one other piece of government issued photo ID to get a driver's license. Even a school photo ID will work along with a social card in most states.

He should also apply for a new passport saying that his old one is inaccessible. Just tell the US passport office exactly why one needs a new one. But do not lie and say it has been stolen.

The first answer is totally wrong. You DON'T have to be a citizen, you can alsoo be a resident alien (work visa holder, green card holder, student visa holder).

Is the passport his only form of identification? Is his visa still valid? Does he not have a social security card or a green card, anything? If so, then I highly suspect that he is already out of status and is here illegally. If that is the case, then he won't be able to get a permit anyway, since they would need him to present proof of legal presence in addition to the passport.

ibu guru

His mother has no choice but to give him his passport, visa, green card, whatever documents he has. By law, he must have his visa/green card with him at ALL times! If stopped and unable to produce his documentation, he can be arrested, deported, etc. Federal law - does not matter where he is. He needs to tell his mother to deliver his documents to him immediately. She cannot legally hold onto his documents!

Problems like this most commonly happen when the parent brought the child into the country illegally and in fact he has no legal documents. If this is the case, he must leave the US immediately and return to his own country. If he is still a minor child (under 18), he has only one chance to make things right. If he returns to his own country before he turns 18, his parents' illegal acts will not be held against him. If he qualifies, once he is back in his own country, he can apply for a visa or immigration. If he does not return to his own country before he turns 18, he is choosing as an adult to violate immigration laws. Thus, he is subject to arrest, detention, deportation and 10 year bar to reentry.

He needs to get his documents immediately from his mother, if there are any, and find out the truth about his status in the US. It is entirely possible that his mother is an illegal alien, and that she brought him here illegally. This is a horrible wrong to do to a child. But he needs to know the truth of the matter most urgently.

zzsleepur

He should contact the immigration dept and tell them. IF HE HAS A LEGAL PASSPORT...he can get a new one!

If he doesn't.....you are both part of a BIG PROBLEM if you do things illegally.

Michael

If he is a citizen then he can request his Naturalization certifcate and then order a new passport.

Angry Seal

Passports aren't citizenship passes. You need to be a citizen to get a driver's permit.

happy2b_white

He can go to his Mom's place and get the passport.

El Niche

gonna have to kiss awhole bunch of @$$

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