ALBANY – Two county clerks, including a Democrat appointed by Gov. Spitzer, warned yesterday that under the governor’s new plan to give driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants, they intend to report any such aliens to law enforcement for deportation.
Erie County Clerk Kathleen Hochul, who was appointed by Spitzer in April, and Niagara County Clerk Wayne Jagow, a Republican, said they have been in discussions with their local police departments and district attorneys to craft the new policy they believe will deter illegal immigrants from even applying for licenses.
Because they are agents of the state Department of Motor Vehicles, the two said they felt uncomfortable joining 20 of their county clerk colleagues in ignoring the Spitzer administration’s new policy allowing illegal aliens to obtain drivers’ licenses.
“But how can I look the other way when there are people coming in who are illegal?” Jagow said in explaining the plan to turn illegal aliens in.
Said Hochul: “I took an oath of office to uphold both state and federal law. I keep that oath on my desk and look at it every day.”
Hochul and Jagow said their respective offices will accept the paperwork from those suspected to be illegal aliens and process it as required by Spitzer’s order.
But they will also report suspected illegal aliens to their local law enforcement, who then can notify federal immigration officials. There will no arrests at the DMV offices.
Michael Gilhooly, a spokesman for federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Buffalo, said that “in general, ICE’s position is that it’s not a good idea to issue legitimate government documents to people illegally in the United States.”
A Spitzer aide called plans by Hochul and Jagow to report suspected illegal aliens “a very serious threat and one we are looking into.”
They say that because under the Spitzer policy license applicants will not be required to provide documents that demonstrate their immigration status in the country, there will be no evidence that a person is actually an illegal alien.
Spitzer aides said they will still work with county clerks to resolve the issue.
“I support the governor on many issues, but this is one where I disagree,” Hochul said.