Thread: Cabby permit furor terror-fear alert

http://www.nypost.com/seven/10232006/ne ... porter.htm


CABBY PERMIT FUROR TERROR-FEAR ALERT
By JEREMY OLSHAN Transit Reporter

October 23, 2006 -- In a move some fear could open an avenue for terrorism, prospective cabbies would no longer have to prove they are in the country legally, under a measure proposed by taxi officials, The Post has learned.

The Taxi and Limousine Commission will vote Wednesday on whether to reduce driver requirements to just a valid driver's license and Social Security card and do away with proof of legal residency or citizenship.

If passed, the measure could be a green light for illegal immigrants who want to use their cabs as weapons, said City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr., chair of the of Public Safety Committee.

"This is wrong on many levels," Vallone said. "But most importantly, it's a public-safety issue. I've been privy to discussions of terrorist plots which involve taxi cabs.

"It's not only shortsighted, it's pure stupidity."

As of 2005, 91 percent of cabbies were foreign born.

If anything, taxi officials should be increasing checks, one politician said.

"This is definitely going in the wrong direction, and it is a danger to public safety," said Rep. Peter King (R-L.I.), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee.

"They are encouraging illegal immigration and rewarding bad behavior."

TLC sources said this shouldn't be the agency's responsibility, and this move would put the onus on the state's Department of Motor Vehicles and other agencies that issue government IDs.

TLC Chairman Matthew Daus said in a statement that a government-issued photo ID and an original Social Security card are "the most relevant proof of personal identification."

He did not address any potential security risks.

"The TLC plans to codify uniform documentation requirements for all of its licensed businesses, owners and drivers," Daus said.

The TLC will continue to fingerprint applicants and reserve the right to conduct background checks, officials said.


Driver advocates have long argued that the TLC has no business checking immigration documents and is not properly trained to make sense of visa and residency categories.


"A lot of anti-immigration advocates don't understand that," said Bhairavi Desai, director of the Taxi Workers Alliance, which first proposed the changes a year ago.

"But this is in keeping with the example Mayor Bloomberg set with his 'Don't ask don't tell' executive order.

"This is a city that respects immigrants."

jeremy.olshan@nypost.com

A world gone mad!

HAVE THEY LOST THEIR MINDS!!???