News Update - October 6, 2007New York State Drivers Licenses for Undocumented Back in the NewsThe States have their own police power and also the power to regulate and distribute drivers licenses. New York’s Governor Spitzer announced in September 2007 that the state would issue drivers licenses to undocumented persons, that there will be security features and that the cards would actually increase security as persons currently without drivers licenses could then drive legally, buy insurance and be liable for violations etc. Applicants would still be required to show a valid passport or identity document to obtain the licenses. State legislators are now vowing to defeat the measure and some county Department of Motor Vehicle officials have stated that they will not issue drivers licenses without proof of legal status and will continue to require Social Security numbers of applicants. The Governor has stated that those refusing to issue licenses are employees of the State of New York and must issue the licenses. An ad campaign has begun on local television linking the driver’s license issue to national security and terrorism. More on this issue as it continues to heat up….
† The author is a 26+ year practitioner of immigration law based in New York City. He was awarded the Sidney A. Levine prize for best legal writing at the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law in 1977 and has written extensively on immigration over the past years for the ethnic newspapers, World Journal, Sing Tao, Pakistan Calling, Muhasha and OCS. He has testified as an expert on immigration in civil court proceedings and was recognized by the Taiwan government in 1985 for his work protecting human rights. His article, "The Bush Temporary Worker Proposal and Comparative Pending Legislation: an Analysis" was Interpreter Releases' cover display article at the American Immigration Lawyers Association annual conference in 2004, and his victory in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in a case of first impression nationwide, Firstland International v. INS, successfully challenged INS' policy of over 40 years of revoking approved immigrant visa petitions under a nebulous standard of proof. Its value as precedent, however, was short-lived as it was specifically targeted by the Administration in the Intelligence Reform Act of 2004. ‡ This article © 2007 Alan Lee, Esq.
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Copyright © 2003-2012 Alan Lee,
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