RALEIGH, N.C. — The driver’s license features a bold, pink stripe along the top, and on the bottom the phrase: “NO LAWFUL STATUS.”

North Carolina proposes to issue the license to illegal immigrants who qualify for the federal Deferred Action Childhood Arrivals program. The idea has raised howls of protest from immigrant and civil rights groups.

They complain that the proposed licenses would stigmatize young immigrants brought to the U.S. by their parents. State legislators have expressed concerns that illegal immigrants will use the licenses to vote or obtain social services, despite the pink stripe and a pink “LIMITED TERM” endorsement.