Phase two of the transition will begin six to eight months after the first phase, when all New Yorkers will be able to apply under the new policy. Undocumented immigrants will check a box on the application that says they are not eligible to receive a social security number. They will then have to present a current foreign passport and, if a further adjustment is approved, proof of New York State residency as well.
Opponents of the change argue that it compromises security and sends the wrong message about immigration policy. In a recent press release, State Senator Martin Golden, a Brooklyn Republican, said, “A driver’s license is not an entitlement and is the most important document issued in the establishment of one’s identity.” He thinks that in allowing undocumented immigrants to have driver's licenses, Spitzer is making it easier for potential terrorists to access buildings and services that were previously off-limits.
Other critics worry that the new policy condones illegal acts. “It ignores the fact that people are in this country illegally. We now have millions of people who think our borders are meaningless and our political sovereignty is meaningless,” argues Heather Mac Donald, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute.
But supporters say these fears are misguided, and that allowing undocumented workers to have driver's licenses will actually make New York safer. For one, having more licensed drivers in the city will reduce the number of accidents; studies have shown that unlicensed drivers are much more likely to be in a fatal crash than drivers with licenses. As part of the new policy, the DMV will ensure against fraud with new document and photo verification technologies. The policy will also bring more New Yorkers into the system, so that should there ever be a security threat, law enforcement officials can identify individuals sooner. In the initial state announcement, deputy secretary for homeland security Michael Balboni said, “We have been meticulous in ensuring that this change in policy, and the new security measures we are putting in place, strengthen our homeland security efforts by licensing a population of New Yorkers who previously had no public records.”
City Councilman John Liu, chairman of the transportation committee, is happy to see the DMV move away from immigration enforcement and return to its core functions. In his view, it was “the misguided policies over the last couple of years that created unsafe conditions.”
For her part, Patricia in Corona is waiting patiently for one of the most important letters her family will ever receive. She looks forward to the time when her husband will be able to drive his cab again, so that they no longer have to struggle to make ends meet. She believes that the new driver license policy is “not only a great thing for my family, but for thousands of other families as well.”
Additional reporting contributed by Demetria Irwin.
