Spitzer wins few friends with new license policy

ALBANY - Gov. Eliot Spitzer's revamped plan to offer drivers' licenses to illegal immigrants has led to a new round of criticism from political leaders and special-interest groups, even from many who had supported the governor's original license policy.

The governor and his aides tried vehemently Monday to explain a complex drivers'-license policy announced Saturday that would offer three types of licenses to New Yorkers, including one for illegal immigrants.

Spitzer said the new policy would "improve security, maximize participation and permits law enforcement to know who is in the state driving."

Still, Republican leaders vowed to press ahead with court action against the Democratic governor, despite his agreement Saturday with the federal Department of Homeland Security to comply with mandates from Washington - which will delay enactment of the state policy until at least the middle of next year.

Assembly Republicans said Monday they plan to file a lawsuit as early as Thursday in hopes of stopping Spitzer's policy, while Rensselaer County Clerk Frank Merola said his suit filed last week will also go forward.

Also, some immigration-rights groups are abandoning the governor, saying his latest plan to comply with the federal Real ID act would stigmatize illegal immigrants. Some groups protested outside Spitzer's Manhattan home Sunday, saying the license illegal immigrants would receive would be a "scarlet letter" for the roughly 1 million illegal immigrants in New York.

"What's he done is make more people upset from both sides -- those that supported him and those who were against him," said Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco, R-Schenectady.

Under the plan, New York will offer a federal license, known as Real ID, which would be available to citizens and legal immigrants and also serve as identification for domestic flights and entry into federal buildings.

A second type of license, known as an enhanced driver's license, could be used to cross the Canadian border and would comply with the federal Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which in January would have required a passport to enter the U.S.

The third license would remain solely a drivers' license and not serve as valid federal identification. That license would be available to illegal immigrants with valid foreign passports, as well as legal residents who already have passports.

Last month, Spitzer announced that as early as December illegal immigrants could start applying for licenses. But under the new agreement, that process will likely be delayed until the middle of next year.

It's unclear how much the new program will cost the state. Yet Spitzer aides estimated the new licenses will cost about $20 to $30 more than the current $50 it costs New Yorkers to renew a license for eight years.

Spitzer aides said the new policy will still accomplish the governor's goal of better documenting illegal immigrants and improving homeland security. The compromise allows the state to also comply with federal laws, but rolled out over the next decade, lowering the state's initial costs, officials said.

"It was going to be a federal mandate that we weren't going to be able to change anyway," said Michael Balboni, the state's Deputy Secretary for Public Safety.

Some business groups, especially in western New York, applauded the governor's plan to offer an enhanced license to cross the Canadian border.

Rochester Business Alliance President Sandy Parker called it "critically important to the many Upstate New York businesses that rely on conducting business with Canada in a safe, efficient manner."

Yet others continued to knock the governor's plan because it still offers drivers' licenses to illegal immigrants without requiring Social Security numbers, which some say violates current state law.

"He hasn't changed anything," Merola said. "He's still looking to do the same thing that he was looking to do a month ago."

And even some Democrats, who had supported the governor's initial proposal, are balking at Spitzer's handling of the issue. Many weren't notified that Spitzer planned to make changes.

Last week, Spitzer urged Democrats in the state Senate to stand behind his policy - only to announce the changes with Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff a few days later.

And in another potential sign of the backlash, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, who supported the governor's original policy change, Monday declined to comment on the new plan.

Other Democrats expressed concern that New York has agreed to be the first large state to implement the federal Real ID act, which has come under criticism for its high cost and potential infringement on people's civil liberties.

"I am still convinced that for a variety of security costs, privacy and the potential for discrimination that the Real ID act must be defeated," said Sen. Eric Schneiderman, D-Manhattan, a Spitzer supporter.

"And I'm concerned over the governor's decision to opt in. I'm urging him to slow down on this."
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