New York's Democratic governor bows to anti-immigrant hysteria over license plan

The Governor claimed he did not anticipate serious opposition. Eight other states have similar procedures, and the proposal was couched in terms of security and safety, as a means of bringing the undocumented “out of the shadows” and reducing the number of unlicensed and uninsured drivers on the road. There are at least 12 million “illegal aliens” in the country, with close to one million in New York State. Undoubtedly, hundreds of thousands of these immigrants are driving without legal licenses.

Obscured by the media’s braying about Spitzer “giving away licenses to illegals” is the fact that New York State long issued licenses without any requirement for proof of citizenship or legal residence in the US. It was only in 2002 that then-Republican Governor George Pataki issued a ruling that required either a valid Social Security number or proof of immigration status for obtaining a license.