Feds strike ID deal over NY licenses

hour, 17 minutes ago



WASHINGTON - The Bush administration and New York cut a deal Saturday to create a new generation of super-secure driver's licenses for U.S. citizens, but also allow illegal immigrants to get a version.

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New York is the fourth state to reach an agreement on federally approved secure licenses, after Arizona, Vermont and Washington. The issue is pressing for border states, where new and tighter rules are soon to go into effect for crossings.

The Arizona deal announced in August does not contemplate issuing licenses to illegal immigrants, said Jeanine L'Ecuyer, a spokeswoman for Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano.

The proposed Arizona version would not be available to anyone illegally in the country, since one of the intended uses of the 3-in-1 identity card would be to prove U.S. citizenship, L'Ecuyer said. It could be used as a license, as proof of citizenship and as a passport-like document valid for travel in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. It would be voluntary and available for a small extra fee.

"It is something that clearly would not be available for people who are in the county illegally," L'Ecuyer said.

The New York deal comes about one month after Gov. Eliot Spitzer announced a plan whereby illegal immigrants with a valid foreign passport could obtain a license.

Saturday's agreement with the Homeland Security Department will create a three-tier license system in New York. It is the largest state to sign on so far to the government's post-Sept. 11 effort to make identification cards more secure.

Spitzer, who has faced much criticism on the issue, said the deal means New York "will usher in the most secure licensing system in the nation."

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said he was not happy that New York intended to issue IDs to illegal immigrants. But he said there was nothing he could do to stop it.

"I don't endorse giving licenses to people who are not here legally, but federal law does allow states to make that choice," Chertoff said.

The governor made clear he is going forward with his plan allowing licenses for illegal immigrants. But advocates on both sides of the debate said Spitzer had caved to pressure by adopting the administration's stance on tighter security standards for most driver's licenses.

GOP Rep. Thomas Reynolds, who represents the Buffalo suburbs, said he was glad Washington had heeded his concerns about border identification. But he said he feared that Spitzer "is taking this state down a risky path" by giving any kind of license to illegal immigrants.

Under the compromise, New York will produce an "enhanced driver's license" that will be as secure as a passport. It is intended for people who soon will need to meet such ID requirements, even for a short drive to Canada.

A second version of the license will meet new federal standards of the Real ID Act. That law is designed to make it much harder for illegal immigrants or would-be terrorists to obtain licenses.

A third type of license will be available to undocumented immigrants. Spitzer has said this ID will make the state more secure by bringing those people "out of the shadows" and into American society, and will lower auto insurance rates.

Those licenses will be clearly marked to show they are not valid federal ID. Officials, however, would not say whether that meant local law enforcement could use such a license as probable cause to detain someone they suspected of being in the U.S. illegally.

"Besides being a massive defeat for the governor, I can't imagine many — if any — illegal immigrants coming forward to get the driver's licenses, because they'd basically be labeled as illegal," said New York Rep. Peter King, the top Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee.

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 in September when he announced his executive order.
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Who the hell wants to carry around a dl showing that they are in this country illegally???

They should make a modified driver's license for the illegals so they don't get the same one as legal residents. It's like giving them a city ID card. And these licenses should only work NYC or places around it, not in other states.

Yeah, okay, nobody's going to get a license that's specifically for illegal immigrants. That's so ridiculous. You know what would work? If illegal immigrants could get temporary licenses or something that would also be available to people here on nonimmigrant visas like H1B or tourist. Then they could just be allowed to renew it when it expired.

damn i was gonna get a license now with this bull is like saying to the world hey i am illegal and how the cops are here you can forget about it

This kind of sucks. It's kind of like the 21st century version of the scarlet letter. Everyone is going to know your undocumented.

what about Non-drivers state ID? is that going to have some similar design that says not valid Federal ID...probably...hellfire and damnation!!

Yeah Spitzer pretty much turned this from a great deal for immigrants to the one thing they feared most.

Good job Chertoff, sieg heil.

[quote="Dman"]This kind of sucks. It's kind of like the 21st century version of the scarlet letter. Everyone is going to know your undocumented.[/quote

i guess u can say that.. its like we get a card, but with a big U or I for Undocumented or Illegal, i think all the immigrants should get a specific id card, whether you got a work visa, illegal, student visa or whatever the case maybe if you dont hold a green card or not a u.s. citizen, we should have some i.d., i personally get tired of carrying my passport around, and if we have this card, it doesnt exactly mean we are here illegally, i mean we can tell them we're here with a student visa, or a work visa/work permit. as long as the i.d. doesn't scream Illegal!!

I can't imagine a lot of people people will be coming forward to get those driver licenses. I know I would not.

Did the administration not stop to think, that pro-immigrants rights are going to probably ask undocumented residents not to even think of applying for that license that stamps their foreheads as undocumented residents. I would not encourage anyone to apply for that, you will GIVE all your information out to the state, the state can refer it back to ICE, it is just wrong reasoning, it will also bring on discrimination at all places where you show your license that bluntly shows your undocumented, its the same B.S. that was used for African Americans when they had different drinking fountains for them, NOT A GOOD IDEA!!!!!!!!!!!!! Segregation!!!!!!!!1