Immigration front: New York sanctuary state

One of many federal dictates in the wake of 9/11 is the REAL ID Act, an effort by Washington to standardize state drivers’ licenses. Homeland Security’s aim is to add more stringent requirements to the process of obtaining these and similar forms of identification by requiring proof of citizenship or legal residency. Many civil libertarians have derided the program as an intrusion on states’ rights and yet another unfunded mandate, as Congress appropriated only a small portion of the estimated $23 billion needed for full implementation.

Despite the deal reached by the state of New York and the Bush administration on compliance with REAL ID, Governor Eliot Spitzer still angered federal Homeland Security officials by planning to maintain a three-tiered system for drivers’ licensing as part of his state’s compliance effort, with the third tier being a driver’s license tailored for “undocumentedâ€