Spitzer Abandons Plan To Give Driver's Licenses To Illegal Immigrants

AP:

New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer has decided to abandon a plan to issue driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, officials familiar with the decision told The Associated Press Tuesday night.

The governor is due to meet Wednesday morning with New York's congressional delegation, many of whom openly oppose the program. Debate over the issue also has spilled into New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign.

The governor's office signaled to New York lawmakers Tuesday that Spitzer will say at the meeting that he is shelving the plan and that immigration is a federal issue to be handled by Washington, according to congressional aides who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because no formal announcement had been made.

Read the whole story: AP

Comments

[WARisEVIL]

Want to put a screeching halt on illegals??

Do like we did here in Holland. 2 years ago we passed a law making it MANDATORY that everyone must have a health insurance policy.

Thing is to buy a policy you must show 3 valid forms of ID. passport, permanent residency card and birth certificate.

Sure has helped here.

[revko]

Can't they just go on using their Blackwater employee ID's?

[forpeace]

*

Someone please ask the US Government how all these Illegals got here in the first place?!

I have no problem what so ever with Immigrants, this country was built with Immigrants, but I do have problem with Illegals.

They should have gone through the same process as every other immigrant.

What in the world a Governor decides to give Illegals Driver's Licenses? Only for Political games!!

This mess is Government fault.

*

[rayanthony]

We spend so much time and money talking about what to do with illegal aliens. We should spend the money on buses to take them home, and a wall, not fence, to keep them there.

[Mormondude]

I can see it now... a line of a million illegals anxious to go pay $50 for Drivers Ed, followed by another line of a million illegals anxious to pay $100 for a New York license, followed by another line of a million illegals anxious to pay $1,000 to sign up for car insurance.

Spitzer says he can't enforce immigration laws anyway, so why bother signing up for a new license that won't be enforced any more than the old one was? Ain't NEVER gonna happen. The whole premise is utterly ridiculous.

[williamg]

Enough!

Enough with the "YOU ARE RACIST" accusations because someone disagrees with illegals getting drivers licenses. If that were the case then 75 percent of New Yorkers are racist.

[boitexas]

It is indeed a public safety issue. So don't complain when your car insurance rates go up again - and the reason given by the insurance companies is uninsured drivers.

Further, many of these same people who opposed Spitzer's plan will be the same ones complaining about not knowing who is in the country.

Cut of your nose to spite your face.

And for you who love to use the "Billions spent" on illegal aliens - last time I checked there was no tax free checkout line at WalMart for illegals, I pay 2.95 a gallon and they pay 2.95 a gallon.

Millions of illegals are being paid by check. Yes by check with payroll and other taxes being deducted. Again - by check - how else do you explain the proliferation of check cashing stores in all the poorest neighborhoods?

So why not ask your state govt where all the sales tax revenue from illegals is being spent.

this is a never ending story.

have a good rest of the week !

[MagisterLudi]

Good job Spitz,
This issue should be dealt with on federal level and NOT in an election year.

Some suggestions for illegal immigration reforms:

1. No driver's licenses.
2. No credit cards.
3. 'Yes' on temporary work permits similar to Germany "guest workers."
4. 'Yes' on medical care, but NOT at emergency rooms.Open more federally subsidized free clinics.
5. 'No' on children of illegal immigrants automatically becoming US citizens.
US citizenship for illegals is a GIANT magnet for immigration.
6.No subsidized education on college level.
7. Close the borders.
8. Give more help to Latin American countries.
9. Stop subsidizing American agro-business.
10. Deport Mexicans illegals to their state and others to the country of their origin, not the closest Mexican border town.

[wadenelson1]

What a bunch of bigots on Huffpo.

If an illegal alien runs into your car, would you prefer he have or not have a driver's license.

Well, let's see.

In order to get or renew a license in most states you have to provide proof of insurance.

If you're already breaking the law by driving without a license, why bother getting insurance to cover the damage to some fancy car owned by a white guy. Why not just take off on foot and abandon the $500 car you were driving. Get another one -- instead of spending $500+ on insurance.

Don't tell me that without licenses illegal aliens won't drive. You know that's not true.

On the other hand, if you have a valid license, and purchasing insurance will allow you to own a nicer car, one that you aren't going to have seized after a traffic stop, that's good for everyone - car dealers, mechanics, insurance companies....

You people who blame all of America's ills on Illegal Aliens are no worse than the Germans who blamed Germany's problems on the Jews. They're a convenient scapegoat that can't fight back.

Issuing driver's licenses was far more to YOUR benefit more than theirs.

[TLV]

Spitzer should have known...anything close to what Bush has proposed is going to get him in hot water.

Because no one likes Bush's policies anymore, right?

[white mende man]

I bet Lou Dobbs will be giddy with excitement on his show tonight.

[frappe]

Smart move by Spitzer. But it was dumb of him to propose it in the first place.

[TiffShelton]

Good move by the New York Governor. That is the difference between Dems and Repubs.

I wonder if Hillary will support this or not support this or understand why he is doing this, but not actually supporting it. I forget what her positions were.

[VogonsCryptolect]

Now that's clout boys and girls!!!
This had to have been squelched by the Clintons.
The issue was not going there way (no matter which way that might have been) so they made it go away in mid waffle.
To paraphrase the old Tootsie Pop ad: How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Clinton policy? The world may never know.

[gamg1017]

The problem of illegal immigration must be addressed on the Federal level. However, the administration and their neo-con allies prefer to use illegal immigration as a wedge issue.

Please, don't anyone say anything about congresses failure to act with any degree of success on this or any other issue. While the Democratic party may be in the majority, they still do not have the total numbers needed to override presidential vetoes. Frankly, I find it appalling that the MSM and those among the blogosphere fail to bring this bit of information into the light of day.

When will political discourse in this country become about doing what we need to do to set things right rather than fighting with each other along red and blue divides!

We have problems that need to be addressed. The abandonment of Governor Spitzers proposal is not a success by any stretch of the imagination. Nor would his proposal if passed been the solution to the problem. It is a certainty that illegal immigrants will secure counterfiet documentation as they have for years. It is also certain that many would not have participated in the program out of misunderstanding and fear of deportation.

Doing nothing seems to be better than working together to come to some kind of a solution. Not having addressed border security in any meaningful way since the 9/11 attacks is a failure of this government on an unimaginable scale.