State will let illegal immigrants get driver’s licenses, Spitzer says BY PAT MILTON The Associated Press
NEW YORK — New York will allow illegal immigrants who have a valid foreign passport to get a driver’s license, with a goal of bringing “people out of the shadows” into American society, Gov. Eliot Spitzer announced Friday. “They no longer need to hide and pretend they are not here,” said Spitzer. “We will not become part of what is propagated on the federal level, that if we don’t admit they are here then we can somehow not provide services. That is bad policy.” New York has between 500,000 and 1 million undocumented immigrants, many of whom are driving without a license and car insurance or with fake driver’s licenses, Spitzer said at a news conference. The shift in policy is geared toward enhanced security, safer streets and a reduction in insurance premiums for all New York drivers by an anticipated $120 million a year, said David Swarts, New York’s motor vehicles commissioner. AAA found that unlicensed drivers are more than five times likely to be involved in car accidents, Swarts noted. The change drew the scorn of some Republican lawmakers from New York. Rep. Randy Kuhl, RN.Y., said the new policy “undermines the preventive measures that protect our country from national security threats. The Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers had at least 35 licenses, which helped them to rent cars and open bank accounts. “This policy encourages people to flood New York state and wreck havoc on our social services, schools and hospitals,” he added. Under the new policy, immigrants — regardless of their status — will be permitted to provide a current, verifiable foreign passport in applying for a license. The policy will be phased in over time beginning in December 2007. Similar policies have been adopted in Utah, New Mexico and other states. Michael Balboni, New York’s homeland security head, said that the new system actually improves security because it creates public records that can be accessed by law enforcement and others to ensure true identities.
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Tony
September 22, 2007, 1:12pm
Guest User
I think that they should get drivers licenses. Then there will be a record of them somewhere.
NYS will be getting illegal immigrants from all over the country now that they can get a drivers license here, I can't wait to see the drain on our states welfare system.
Driver license dilemma First published: Friday, September 28, 2007
By some estimates, there are 500,000 illegal immigrants living in New York. Thanks to a humane policy of the Spitzer administration, they will still be eligible for emergency medical care under Medicaid, despite the efforts of the Bush administration to curtail these benefits, including chemotherapy, by denying states reimbursement for claims it says do not fit the definition of emergency care. It's safe to assume that many of these same 500,000 illegal immigrants do not have driver's licenses, but would like one to be able to drive to work. And under a new policy of the Spitzer administration, they will soon be able to obtain one if they provide a valid foreign passport and proof of residency.
Very few New Yorkers would protest the first policy. It is morally responsible. But many New Yorkers -- including several upstate county clerks -- are vehemently objecting to issuing driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. That would invite obvious homeland security risks, they argue, and give the stamp of approval to the driver's illegal status.
There might not have been such a furor if only Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, R-Brunswick, had stuck to his initial support for Mr. Spitzer's plan as serving the public good, which it does. But Mr. Bruno quickly reversed himself and accused the governor of trying to give illegal immigrants the right to vote by issuing them licenses (an absurd charge because proof of citizenship is required to register to vote). The standoff is yet another example of Troopergate overshadowing everything in Albany.
As a practical matter, many illegal immigrants are probably driving around without a license and without insurance, thereby driving up premiums. Wouldn't Mr. Spitzer's plan reduce those numbers by providing access to a license? And as far as terrorists obtaining licenses, wouldn't they be more likely to remain in the shadows rather than announce their presence and provide their addresses?
Then there is the 500,000 figure itself. What would happen to the New York economy if suddenly all were sent packing? New Yorkers need only look to New Jersey for the answer. On Wednesday, The New York Times profiled the community of Riverside, N. J., where a local law imposed penalties on companies and landlords who employed or rented to illegal immigrants. Sure enough, the illegal immigrants moved away. But the town felt the effects of the new law, as restaurants and businesses failed, and downtown became a canyon of boarded up vacant buildings.
What happened on a small scale should be a lesson for what could happen on a much larger scale if New York were to enact similar restrictions. It also should serve as a wake-up call to Congress that the solution to the problem of illegal immigration must be national in scope. Any policy must weigh the contributions that illegal immigrants make to this country, and the need to provide them with either a path toward citizenship or temporary status to work here legally before returning to their home countries. Until that happens, New York and other states will grapple with patchwork solutions and small towns like Riverside, N.J., will continue to learn the hard way that the problem of illegal immigration is more daunting than it might appear.
At present our drivers license is used for identification when traveling and for credit card verification with all these questionable people with drivers licensees we won't be doing that much longer as people won't honor the NYS license.
I'm afraid I don't understand what part of the word illegal no one seems to understand. We are talking about intelligent people here, many of them attorneys and not a single one seems to be able to grasp a simple term like illegal. Giving illegals a drivers license will help us keep better track of them??? And how is that? Just because I have a card that has my name on it doesn't mean I can't disappear. Just think about how silly that sounds. Give me a break.
It's because of the fact that once they get the license, they can vote and get on public assistance. Once they get on that, they vote for the person that gives them the most.
I don't know what the big deal is about a drivers license. Just ask any high school or college student for one. They certainly have no trouble what so ever getting an illegal license showing they are over 21 to drink.
And there are people out there, for a price, that will produce both a drivers license and a social security card with your name or anyone elses for that matter on it.
I agree that 'illegals' are just that...illegals. Basically breaking the law of the land. They are criminals. But our beloved politicians look upon them as potential vote getters. But since they are apparently supplying them with the right of a drivers license, which in turn means registering a car, which in turn means purchasing insurance..these illegals have to surface at some point. They will still be illegal...but now they will be SEEN and tracked and monitored just like the rest of us.
And look at the money to be made with just a simple drivers license, assuming there are 500,000 illegals in NYS alone: - You need to pay for a license, so that is money going to the state government. - You need to register a car, so that is money going to the state government. - You need to inspect a car yearly, so that is money going to the state government. - You need to put gas in your car...but we still don't know where that money is going - You need to insure a car, so the insurance companies can invest more money in the stock market helping the economy. And the list goes on.............This all adds up to big bucks added to the governmental system.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
EDITORIALS Spitzer must tell more about alien license plan
If Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s goal in proposing that illegal immigrants be allowed to get driver’s licenses was to deflect attention from the “Troopergate” scandal, he may well have succeeded. But he’s got to do a better job selling this policy change — explaining more fully his motives for it and allowing public debate on it — or he’s probably not going to win much support for it. And if he doesn’t do that, the continuing distraction it could cause probably won’t be worth whatever he hopes to gain. The governor has said he thinks the change will make New York roads safer by getting more drivers properly licensed and insured. That would be a worthwhile accomplishment, but what makes the governor think that immigrants who’ve entered the country illegally, and have been driving illegally, are going to bother learning the rules of the road and applying for licenses? Especially when they’d still have to provide a passport and additional identification from their homeland? The majority of illegal immigrants probably don’t carry such papers, so the new policy probably wouldn’t change things very much — unless it invited a rash of forgeries. That possibility increases the burden on local DMV offices, which are responsible for validating the authenticity of license applicants’ IDs. Understandably, a number of county clerks around the state have been badmouthing the plan. Conservatives like Assemblyman James Tedisco have also been bashing it, raising the specter that terrorists will exploit it to get driver’s licenses that will enable them to board airplanes, etc. Others say once the illegals have licenses, they’ll lie about their citizenship so they can register to vote. Both of these fears seem exaggerated, though hardly implausible. In fact, Congress, in the aftermath of 9/11, ordered the creation of standardized driver’s licenses, though the Department of Homeland Security has yet to issue guidelines for them. Spitzer needs to address the naysayers’ concerns, and explain why he thinks his plan is still preferable to the status quo. There’s no question that it would ease the burden on illegals trying to assimilate into our society — working, taking care of their families, etc. Of course there’s been a debate in America for years whether illegals should be entitled to do so, and that debate remains largely unsettled. It’s hard to fault Spitzer for trying to force the issue, because Congress has been unwilling to deal with it, but he may find that it’s larger than him, and not worth the trouble.
GOP readies challenges to Spitzer license plan BY VALERIE BAUMAN The Associated Press
Republican Assembly leader James Tedisco said Osama bin Laden is likely popping champagne over Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s new plan to allow illegal immigrants to get New York driver’s licenses. Tedisco, joined by other Republican Assemblymen, said Republicans would sue if Spitzer and the Department of Motor Vehicles don’t rescind the proposal by Oct. 31. He said Spitzer violated a state law in his policy. Spitzer spokeswoman Christine Anderson said the legal threat was baseless. “New York law gives the DMV commissioner broad discretionary powers to determine what documents are required to prove a license applicant’s identity,” Anderson said. New York’s highest court has upheld the DMV commissioner’s authority to administratively change those requirements, without new legislation, which permits him to change the DMV policy imposed during the Pataki era, she said. Spitzer announced his plan last week and said it would bring “people out of the shadows” of American society when it goes into effect in December. Similar policies have been adopted in Utah, New Mexico and other states. Republicans said Friday that giving licenses to illegal immigrants would threaten the state’s security, allow for voter fraud and inconvenience the citizens of New York. Tedisco plans to introduce legislation next month that would make it a requirement for anyone applying for a license to have a Social Security number or proof of eligibility. The measure would also make it a misdemeanor to falsely apply for U.S. citizenship or a Social Security number. Republican Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno announced Friday that the chamber will act on similar legislation next month. Meanwhile, Democrats gathered in New York City to show their support for the governor, saying his policy would improve the safety of New York’s roads and provides long-deserved rights to immigrants. “The question of driving a car should be judged by skill, age, lack of incapacities — whether it’s vision or some other incapacity — and that should be it,” said Assemblyman Peter Rivera, a Bronx Democrat. “It should not be based on citizenship.” Some county clerks — who have the authority to approve licenses — have opposed Spitzer’s policy. Saratoga County Clerk Kathleen Marchione, president of the state association of county clerks, said at least “four or five” clerks have expressed concern with the policy. Rensselaer County Clerk Frank Merola has maintained that his county will never issue driver’s licenses or identification to people who can’t prove their legal status. Assembly Republicans argued that providing licenses to illegal immigrants would make it easier for terrorists to slide through the cracks of state law undetected. Tedisco said giving illegal immigrants a driver’s license will allow them to vote. New York state law requires voters to be a U.S. citizen. Republicans, including New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, said the policy could make state driver’s licenses ineligible for boarding an airplane because they would no longer be evidence of citizenship. New York has between 500,000 and 1 million undocumented immigrants, many of whom are driving without a license and car insurance or with fake driver’s licenses, Spitzer has said. The Democratic governor’s decision comes as the Department of Homeland Security is pushing all 50 states to tighten their identification standards. New York officials say the policy shift is geared toward enhanced security, safer streets and a reduction in insurance premiums for all New York drivers by an anticipated $120 million a year.
I am probably considered an extremeist on this one, and I'm ready for the beating, but when ILLEGALS go in for their drivers license they should be put on a bus/train/plane and returned to where they came from. Let them go through the process like the immigrants who come here legally to start a new life.
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