ALBANY – Gov. Spitzer announced yesterday that illegal immigrants will get driver’s licenses – but at a cost to legal citizens because they’ll now be useless as airport ID.
Spitzer said the state would no longer require a Social Security number or proof that a person is not eligible for such a number in order to qualify for a driver’s license.
That change clashes with the 2005 REAL ID law passed by Congress that states require, among other things, a Social Security number in order to get a license. States have until December 2009 to be in compliance.
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.
Travelers will now have to carry a second form of ID, like a passport, which was met with criticism yesterday.
“To outright dismiss the security needs of our state and nation and provide illegal aliens documentation is dangerous and inconceivable,” said Sen. Dale Volker (R-Depew).
“Gov. Spitzer should not view New York state driver’s licenses like baseball cards – handing them out just to score political points.”
Rep. Peter King (R-L.I.), the ranking member on the House Committee on Homeland Security, said: “I strongly disagree with giving state-authorized IDs to illegal immigrants. More importantly, this proposal raises serious homeland-security concerns.”
New York is the eighth state to give licenses to undocumented aliens.
Spitzer defended the policy, which was implemented unilaterally and first reported in yesterday’s Post, by saying, “We will not extend the DMV to be a surrogate of the INS.”
He said it will actually bolster security by bringing more people into the system, which could “help law-enforcement agencies in their investigations.
“We can bring people out of the shadows and into the system,” he said at a news conference.
State Homeland Security Director Michael Balboni said New York would have to create a two-tier licensing system for citizens and non-citizens to be in compliance with the REAL ID act, which would require state legislative approval.
He said that few states would be compliant under the current Real ID system, which has drawn criticisms because of delays by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in releasing long-awaited regulations for implementing the law.
“We’re only as strong as your weakest link, and if you have some states that aren’t compliant, there’s a huge security risk, which is why Real ID is in real trouble,” Balboni said.
A Spitzer spokesman took it a step further, saying that even before the change, New York, along with the other 49 states, would not be compliant with the system.
Spitzer claims the change will reduce insurance-premium costs by 34 percent, because the number of insured drivers will go up.
The plan will be implemented in two phases.
The first, which will begin immediately, involves letters being sent to the roughly 152,000 state residents who have or previously have held licenses, but cannot renew them because of a change in their immigration status.
They can begin the process in December.
Six to eight months after that, the second phase will begin, allowing any New Yorkers with proof of identity, date of birth and fitness to drive to get a license.
Additional reporting byPeter Cox & Eric Lenkowitz