Two Republican lawmakers are asking for a review of whether some noncitizens in Maine have been improperly issued driving credentials following two deadly pedestrian crashes involving drivers who federal authorities said had overstayed tourist visas.

Sen. Bruce Bickford of Auburn and Rep. Amy Arata of New Gloucester have asked the Legislature’s Government Oversight Committee to order an investigation of the issue, which comes amid a federal crackdown on illegal immigration and ramped up deportation efforts.

“It might be helpful to hear about this, but I’m not prepared to recommend we have a full-blown investigation until we hear from the secretary of state’s office about the actual process,” said Rep. Anne Marie Mastraccio, D-Sanford, co-chair of the committee.

Sen. Brad Farrin, R-Norridgewock, who also serves on the Transportation Committee, said there are legal processes in place for noncitizens to be issued driving credentials and agreed it would be helpful to have more information from the secretary of state.

“I’d like to know more and my thought would be that before we take this up as a full-blown (investigation), that we have somebody from the secretary of state’s office address this for us,” Farrin said.

Bickford and Arata were not present at Wednesday’s meeting, but sent a letter to the committee requesting the review earlier this fall, citing the two fatal crashes in August.

“A thorough investigation … will provide clarity and the potential extent of this issue,” the lawmakers wrote in their letter. “If the review determines that licensing procedures are being followed appropriately, this will reassure the public and lawmakers alike. If problems are identified, it will prompt necessary legislative action to close any gaps.”

The committee held off on calling for an investigation during a meeting Wednesday and instead agreed to request that Secretary of State Shenna Bellows come before them to discuss the questions raised by the two lawmakers.

Stacy Strattard, a brewery owner from Gray, was crossing Lewiston Road in New Gloucester when she was struck and killed Aug. 16. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said the driver was an Angolan national who had a tourist visa that required him to leave the U.S. in 2019.

One day earlier, 74-year-old Elizabeth Camacho was struck and killed in Lewiston’s Kennedy Park. The driver in that case was also from Angola and had a tourist visa that had required him to leave in July, according to DHS. He was reportedly driving with a learner’s permit at the time of the crash.

DHS said in an August news release that Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested both men after finding they had overstayed their tourist visas.

Proof of U.S. citizenship or legal presence in the U.S. is required in order to obtain either a Maine driver’s license or a learner’s permit, according to the secretary of state’s office. Under state law, a license issued to a lawfully present noncitizen expires at the same time as their authorized duration of stay.

“Maine law requires that we establish legal presence for any applicant applying for any type of license,” a spokesperson for the office said in a written statement Wednesday. “The Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles does not issue licenses to undocumented immigrants.”

Bellows previously said in response to concerns from Republican leaders in August that both drivers “were accurately issued credentials based on their legal presence in our country and residency in our state.”

The request for review in Maine comes as the Trump administration has ramped up immigration enforcement and deportation efforts. In its August news release on the two drivers, DHS said their cases show why such efforts are needed.

“All of these deaths are preventable because these illegal aliens should have NEVER been in our country,” said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.

One lawmaker at Wednesday’s meeting, however, urged his colleagues to approach the request with caution and said he did not want to see immigrants “demonized” as part of the process.

“I think there may be, perhaps intended or not, some unfortunate connotations of this request,” said Sen. Mike Tipping, D-Orono. “There’s the idea that maybe people who are immigrants are a particular threat on the roads or something like that, and I just want to say that that is absolutely not true.”