Denver woman unsure of risk after selling car to undocumented migrant

Denver woman unsure of risk after selling car to undocumented migrant

DENVER (KDVR) — A Denver woman said she has been left with an unexpected mess after she sold her van to an undocumented migrant.

She learned the new owner of her vehicle can’t register the van or insure it in his name.

Kamelah Miller was looking to do some renovations on her home. So, her friend recommended someone who could do the work at a reasonable price.

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“Shortly after that he was telling me he was looking to buy a car and I was looking to sell mine,” she said.

Miller gave him a price on her Volkswagen Routan and he gave her the money.

“I signed over all the paperwork to him, and that was that. I went on with my life,” said Miller.

At least that’s what she thought.

“Three weeks after that he called me and he said ‘I’m not able to get registration, insurance, plates’,” she said.

She referred him to the Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles but learned there was a much bigger problem.

“That’s when he let me know he is a Venezuelan migrant and he doesn’t have the proper documentation,” she said.

He started asking Miller to use her name to register and insure the vehicle.

“I considered it,” said Miller. “I 100% considered it.”

She quickly started thinking of the risks.

“I want to help but I don’t want to pay for his tickets, if he robs a bank, I don’t want to be involved in that. Like what is he supposed to do,” she asked. “I have since called and got my insurance removed so he’s riding without a driver’s license, without registration without insurance.”

FOX31 reached out to the DMV to see what the risks are to the seller in this situation. Here’s what the DMV said:

“If the seller signed the vehicle title over to the buyer then they are no longer liable for the car. Colorado residents selling their vehicles may also voluntarily report an ownership transfer to the Division of Motor Vehicles. Sellers can report the transfer of ownership either online via myDMV.colorado.gov (using the Report Release of Liability under Vehicle Services) or at their county motor vehicle office. This must be done within five days of the sale.”

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The DMV advises sellers to report the ownership transfer to protect themselves from potential issues.

Miller made a post on the Nextdoor app trying to find out what to do. With more than 200 comments she still was left with no answer.

“We were all confused. Everyone is like try this, well do this, or maybe this,” she said. “I got everything from ‘try to get the car back’ to ‘go to the DMV’,” she said.

Without the knowledge of this information, she worries more people will find themselves in this sticky situation.

“Either we should help them and have things in place so they can be successful in the state of Colorado or we should figure out something on how to end this,” Miller said. “There are so many cars on the road. How many of them are uninsured because they had no choice? “

She believes more issues will arise because of the migrant influx.

“My friend had a house for rent and a Venezuelan migrant wanted to rent his home. It’s hard enough to evict Americans, how are you going to evict someone if they pay you the rent that has no documentation?” Miller asked. “If they sign a lease what does that even mean? Can we take them to court like what do we do? So, no this isn’t going to get better. Colorado has a homeless issue. These young people are overdosing on fentanyl. There’s a housing crisis, we have 99 problems, and I don’t know if the migrant problem needs to be one.”

A DMV spokesperson told FOX31 that while they can’t speak to how a seller should vet a buyer, anyone taking part in a private party vehicle sale can learn how to protect themselves by visiting the website.

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