High court says state can deny driver's licenses to illegal immigrants


Associated Press - June 7, 2007 11:45 AM ET

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - The state's highest court rejected a lawsuit today that sought to require the state to issue driver's licenses to illegal immigrants.

In the 5 to 2 decision, the Court of Appeals ruled that the DMV has the right to insist that driver's license applicants have valid federal immigrant documents.

The policy of requiring those documents was enacted September 6th, 2001 and the state began cracking down in 2004. The lawsuit began that year when several immigrants were faced with the loss of their licenses. In 2005, a state Supreme Court judge in Manhattan sided with immigrants and order the state to stop seizing the licenses of immigrants without Social Security cards. The judge argued in part that the DMV couldn't enforce immigration law.

That decision was overturned in July 2006 by an appellate court.

About a dozen states deny driver's licenses to illegal immigrants.


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