September 22, 2007
Drivers Licenses For Illegal Immigrants
Gov. Spitzer announced yesterday that illegal immigrants will be able to get valid New York State drivers licenses if they provide a valid and verifiable foreign passport. Spitzer hopes that the change, which reverses a four-year-old Pataki-era decision, will legitimize the 500,000-1 million undocumented immigrants who are driving in New York. In a repudiation of the federal government's stance, the governor said "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."
David Swarts, the New York Motor Vehicles Commissioner, thinks that the initiative will save New Yorkers $120 million in reduced insurance premiums, since unlicensed drivers are unable to sign up for insurance and unlicensed drivers are more than five times as likely to get into an accident as licensed drivers, according to AAA. The NY Times notes that this move goes against the national trend, since more states do not offer licenses to illegal immigrants. Illegal immigrants applying for licenses in NY will have to meet a residency requirement.
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said, "I understand the fear of 9/11 and I agree security is essential, but our nation is an immigrant nation ... and to deny law-abiding immigrant New Yorkers licenses ... is to give into that fear." Not all lawmakers agree with the plan. One Congressman from New York pointed out that the 9/11 hijackers had 35 drivers licenses, which allowed them to open bank accounts and rent cars. We'll add that if the NY State DMV is now a frontline on the War Against Terror, we are very concerned.
However, there is some more homeland security debate about Spitzer's plan. Back in 2005, Congress passed the REAL ID law, which requires states to ask for a Social Security number for a license. From the Post:
States that fail to meet the standards will lose their certification by the Department of Homeland Security, meaning that driver's licenses in those states will no longer be valid for air travel, entry to federal facilities and for tax purposes.State Homeland Security Director Michael Balboni, though, said that there were problems with the REAL ID law and the Department of Homeland Security's handling of the program, which is still in flux. He added that Social Security cards and birth certificates lack "biometric information" and NY would be part of a pilot program where license photos would be checked against others in a national database to make sure there were duplicates. Plus, if illegal immigrants had licenses, there would be a public records of true identities.Travelers will now have to carry a second form of ID, like a passport, which was met with criticism yesterday.
The New York Immigrant Coalition said, "Immigrant communities throughout the nation can take heart that today’s victory may begin to turn the tide toward sensible and humane reforms at the federal level." Illegal immigrants were happy, noting how they would be able to drive their children to school and drive to work.
Eight other states offer licenses to illegal immigrants: Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Washington.
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first!
mclovin... nice touch!
This is unreal. forget terrorism. What part of "illegal" immigration does the state not get? Are there any countries in the world that would do this?
All federal funding for the state must be cut off.
80% of the American people want an end to anarchy!
Illegal workers are criminals, those who hire them are criminals and those who aid-and-abet them are criminals.
Illegal aliens in America have NO rights. We are required to arrest and prosecute, deport them.
No, matter your political party affiliation, and setting aside your thoughts on issues. We all need to remember what it is to be an American Citizen. We need to make sure our elected representatives obey their Oath of Office and keep their Oath of Allegiance.
See http://tinyurl.com/2znnvl Know whom you are voting for.
This means the NY Driver License will no longer be valid for I9's as it violates the law.
80% of the American people want an end to anarchy!
Illegal workers are criminals, those who hire them are criminals and those who aid-and-abet them are criminals.
Illegal aliens in America have NO rights. We are required to arrest and prosecute, deport them.
No, matter your political party affiliation, and setting aside your thoughts on issues. We all need to remember what it is to be an American Citizen. We need to make sure our elected representatives obey their Oath of Office and keep their Oath of Allegiance.
See http://tinyurl.com/2znnvl Know whom you are voting for.
guest needs to get some illegal lovin, if you know what i mean
your survey is skewed and biased against the real options for immigrants. anything that documents and identifies people in a fair way is good. if a valid passport is required there should be no rush until all is verified. as for the work issue those who have commented should be ready for sizeable inflation and the loss of jobs to locations across the boarders. and one other thing maybe we should cover up the motto on the statue of LIBERTY which says;
"give me your tired your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free,
the wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
send these the homeless,
the tempest-tossed to me.
I lift my lamp be side the golden shore."
today if your poor looking for an opputunity it is impossible to come to this country legally. so they come as they can and hope for the best.
if they do bad send them back. may the blessings of GOD fall on you as you would bless others
riiiiight, insurance rates will go down.
I don't need no stinkin' ID!
Please no more "2 forms of ID".
i noticed another thing. your use of identical Hawaiian licenses with two different pictures has no comment. could it be because you fabricated one of them? the picture in the second one appears to be a sloppy digital overlay. if so shame on you.
Atta is no McLovin
The only useful service immigrants provide is picking food on farms. The rest is merely catering to the needs of the wealthy. Frankly, I welcome inflation in things like child care, lawn care and landscaping, food delivery, etc. Maybe the rich in suburbia can force their kids to the mow the lawn instead of paying some Mexican guy.
[10] I suggest looking into a job with the CIA, FBI, or Homeland Security, because your detection skills are off the charts. Nothing would get past you.
Driver's Licenses should only be used to indicate that the holder is competent enough to drive a motorized vehicle without unduly annoying or endangering other road users.
That's it. It's not a liquor-buying document, proof of child support payments or an immigration document. If we paid more attention to certifying a driver's skill then we'd be better off.
If the feds want to get their panties in a bunch and not accept it for flying (and since when do I have to have a Social Security number to fly?) then that's their prerogative.
This is ridiculous legislation. If someone is in the United States illegally, why should they be given the same rights and considerations as those that are here legally?!?!
I'm not sure what motivation an illegal alien has to get insurance. If they are here illegally, is giving them a driver's license going to make them law biding illegals. It's just foolish.
[16] In Alabama, having a driver's license and insurance saves you a $500 fine if you're caught. And besides, in Alabama, the majority of people without license and insurance are probably native to Alabama.
Only the wacko left think this is a good idea.
This is just plain wrong. It is the surrender in the face of a large and difficult task. The overwhelming majority of Americans are against any form of amnesty or other benefits to illegal aliens. The kind of immigration that contributed to our country was very tightly regulated and bears no resemblance to the open-door policies of today. No politician who supports amnesty or benefits for illegal aliens will every get my vote and should not get yours either.
I find the hostility to this idea strange. There are lots of illegal drivers on the streets of our city. They can be dangerous and are completely out of govt control. This idea will bring in those controls and force the good drivers to be legal, making it easy to crack down on unlicensed drivers.
Anyone who thinks denying ID will help prevent terrorism is retarded. Terrorists will create fake IDs themselves, they don't need the govt to do it. And by the way, you rent a car with a library card, they never check too see if it's a valid license. Try it for yourself.
Although i agree that this will not prevent terrorism its still dumb. I am all for revamoing, reworking, re-whatevring the system to allow for more immigrants. Hell we all come from people migrating here at some point. But allwoing services to illegals is insane. Its a crime and ignoring it in this way fixes nothing. Instead the people who agree with me about making legal status easier to obtain should be fighting for the change to immigration laws, not supporting the ignoring of said laws. Its too limited and ultimately short-sighted. Using this logic the city should not enforce pot laws, because I disagree with it, or smoking laws because I disagree with them. Fight the law not the enforcement, its harder but more effective.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/23/nyregion/23raid.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1185307362-sxkb89FtIG39bqQKUHhaJg
who is the brilliant idiot who put Mohamed Atta's picture up on that smaller license plate? that's completely tasteless.
Here to stay, get used to it.
We have criminals in this country boldly going where no criminals have gone before, right out in front of the Main Stream Media.
It is long over due that we report these acts of aiding and abetting. It could just be the trigger that the police need to act.
Many police departments, sheriffs departments, prosecuting attorneys and other law enforcement agency’s can now be contacted online.
Many in law enforcement feel the same as we do about this illegal invasion.
Federal Immigration and Nationality Act
Section 8 USC 1324(a)(1)(A)(iv)(b)(iii)
"Any person who . . . encourages or induces an alien to . . . reside . . . knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that such . . . residence is . . . in violation of law, shall be punished as provided . . . for each alien in respect to whom such a violation occurs . . . fined under title 18 . . . imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both."
Section 274 felonies under the federal Immigration and Nationality Act, INA 274A(a)(1)(A):
A person (including a group of persons, business, organization, or local government) commits a federal felony when she or he:
* assists an alien s/he should reasonably know is illegally in the U.S. or who lacks employment authorization, by transporting, sheltering, or assisting him or her to obtain employment, or
* encourages that alien to remain in the U.S. by referring him or her to an employer or by acting as employer or agent for an employer in any way, or
* knowingly assists illegal aliens due to personal convictions.