Controversial new law allows illegal immigrants to get driver's licenses

Legislation designed to bring illegals "out of the shadows"

PETER VIGLIETTA
News Editor

SOURCE: freerepublic.com

After facing an uproar regarding a new policy to allow illegal immigrants to obtain New York State driver's licenses, Governor Eliot Spitzer's revisions to the plan have done little to appease the concerns of government officials, ranging from county clerks to Senators and presidential candidates.

Under Spitzer's original plan, DMVs would no longer require a valid social security number upon issuing a license. The policy would also have removed the visa expiration date from New York State licenses, which appear on the licenses of those who have temporary legal status.

The new version of the law still allows illegal immigrants to obtain driver's licenses but enhances New York State licenses so that they work as a passport for legal citizens travelling to Canada.

Upon unveiling the original version of the plan, Spitzer immediately received objections from state and county officials when it was announced in late September. Many criticized Spitzer for authorizing the policy without approval from the state legislature.

"I didn't like the plan to begin with and they really didn't change it at all," said Tracey Lorenzo, assistant county clerk for Chautauqua County in an interview. "Driving is a privilege, first of all, not a right. And it's certainly not a right for someone's who's not even a legal citizen. If they want to change the law they should do it the proper way and go through the state legislature, go through the senate, go through the assembly, talk to their leaders and let the people of New York speak."

According to a Sept. 21 press release from Spitzer's office, one of his goals for the policy was to increase the safety of the roads by allowing immigrants to take road tests. Spitzer also said the policy would cause a decrease in insurance rates by reducing the premium costs associated with uninsured motorist coverage by 34 percent, which would save New York drivers an estimated $120 million each year.

"I think it's a great thing that they made the licenses work like passports but as far as the immigrants having driver's licenses, I'm not up for that," said Jennifer Colon, senior finance and economics major. "If I get in an accident with an illegal immigrant and they don't have insurance, I'm going to be pretty pissed off."

According to an Oct. 18 article from the Associated Press, Spitzer struck a deal with the Department of Homeland Security in which the state's would reauthorize the policy to be in compliance with the Real ID system, a federal, post-9/11 policy passed in 2002 designed to make identification cards more secure.

Under the new version of the plan there will be three different licenses issued. The first will be an enhanced driver's license for those who can prove full citizenship in the United States. This license will have the same power as a passport when travelling to Canada, which quells the concerns about the policy of requiring a passport to cross the Canadian border, which was unpopular among New Yorkers.

The second type of license is for individuals with temporary legal status and is designed to make it difficult for illegal immigrants and "would-be terrorists" to obtain licenses.

The third type of license would be available to illegal immigrants. According to the Associated Press article, Spitzer has said that this is designed to bring illegal immigrants "out of the shadows."

"It's a really touchy issue," said Carlos Patricio, senior Spanish major. "In some way it's kind of giving illegal immigrants compensation for working shitty jobs."

According to an Oct. 18 article in The Buffalo News, Cattaraugus County Clerk James Griffith said in a letter to the state legislature that the new plan has been "such a good issue to dump on" and that the response to it has been an overreaction.

The issue has arisen as a key topic in presidential debate, as Hillary Clinton was bombarded with questions about it during a debate Tuesday. According to a Nov. 1 article from The New York Times, Clinton first defended the policy and then seemed to be against it.

"If you're an illegal immigrant, the chances of you walking into a government office and presenting identification that could lead government agencies to your doorstep are slim to none," Lorenzo said. "Realistically speaking, they're going to create more fraudulent documents."