Illegals applying for licenses risk being arrested (New York, Spitzer plan)

The Buffalo News ^ | October 26, 2007 | Tom Precious

[jmyrlefuller]

An absolutely brilliant move.

More on the issue and Western New York's response:
Opposition to governor's plan gets bipartisan support, Olean Times-Herald

Cattaraugus County lawmakers added their voices to the chorus of critics of Gov. Eliot Spitzer's proposal that would allow illegal immigrants to obtain state driver's licenses.

County Clerk James K. Griffith, who would be charged with implementing the governor's policy, said in a letter to county lawmakers: "The only new applicants that will be eligible to receive New York State driver's licenses are those who have a valid foreign passport. Suggestions that illegal aliens will be able to come to local DMV offices without proper identification and get a driver license are not accurate."

Mr. Griffith told the Olean Times Herald later that Attorney General Andrew Cuomo determined earlier this week that the governor's proposal is legal.

"The argument has been that it's not legal. The attorney general says it's legal," he said.

[2ndDivisionVet]

Hooray! Good for them!! True patriots exist everywhere, it seems!!

[unixfox]

I'll believe it when I see it.

[PBRSTREETGANG]

Thanks go to these County Clerks for attempting to uphold the rule of law.

Spitzer should be arrested.

[NonValueAdded]

and that the driver’s license rolls are used to compile jury pools.

thus adding another strategy for appeal - your honor, the verdict should be set aside because juror number 6 was an illegal alien.

[Travis McGee]

Current federal law 8USC 1373(a) PROHIBITS SANCTUARY CITIES. It reads as follows:

"Notwithstanding any other provision of federal, state, or local law, a federal, state, or local government entity or official may not prohibit, or in any way restrict any government entity or official from sending to, or receiving from, the Immigration and Naturalization Service information regarding the citizenship or immigration status, lawful or unlawful, of any individual."

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QUISLING: a synonym for traitor, someone who collaborates with the invaders of his country.

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[JimRed]

He says his plan will cut insurance costs by $120 million by reducing accidents by people without insurance.

Once they are insured, they'll suddenly stop running into things? No, same number of accidents, but now all pay higher rates because the illegals are covered as well, and it costs the insurance companies money.

County clerks who fail to institute this policy should be impeached. Kudos to those who are on the right side, even if they are RATS.

[Reaganwuzthebest]

According to Frank Merola’s lawsuit they requested a restraining order as letters to previously known immigration violators were going to be sent out this or next week telling them to come on in and help yourself to a NY license. There’s been little word on the status of the request but it does appear that Spitzer is wasting little time in getting those Hillary voters into the system.

[theshadow3581]

You don’t need a drivers license to get auto insurance...this is all about votes....

[Yo-Yo]

>He says his plan will cut insurance costs by $120 million by reducing accidents by people without insurance.

Once they are insured, they'll suddenly stop running into things? No, same number of accidents, but now all pay higher rates because the illegals are covered as well, and it costs the insurance companies money.

No, $120 Million is the estimated amount of preimums that illegals will pay if allowed to legally register their vehicles.

However, if they're driving illegally now, and are here in the country illegally, what makes them think that they'll all of the sudden start obeying the auto insurance laws?

[jmyrlefuller]

You mean the other way around?

You need auto insurance to own a car, but not to get a license. The car is insured, not the driver, if I do recall correctly.

[spokeshave]

"It would only serve to continue to drive people into the shadows, spread fear and do nothing to improve the safety and security of New Yorkers,” said Spitzer spokeswoman Jennifer Givner"

Drive them into the shadows all the way back to sunny Mexico

[Calpernia]

Careful! Spitzer is a Steamroller!

[melancholy]

Spitzer must be thinking to run for president one day. He’s trying to build his base of illegal voters nationally. If we lose the ‘08 election, God forbid, it will be easier for the illegals to eventually vote for him.

Spitzer is giving the illegals “legal” identification on top of the RATs’ attempt to make voting without any identification the law of the land.

[Nathan Zachary]

"County clerks have also raised concerns that voter registration fraud could increase, and they note that a driver’s license is the form of identification shown for pistol permits and that the driver’s license rolls are used to compile jury pools."

Democrats want those votes, no matter what. Illegals buying guns will also work well into their gun grabbing plans. They don't give a damn about public safety, just votes and their agenda.

Thank goodness there are at least a couple of American patriots willing to stand up against this Spitzer idiot in those counties.

[bonehead4freedom]

No the plan is to register them under motor voter,then they can vote and keep the socialist in power.Once they are on the voting roll any attempt to purge the rolls of illegals will be meet with cries of racism and the excuse of “well we don’t know who’s legal and who’s not so there’s nothing we can do!”

[NYFriend]

This is clever, but not brilliant. The flaw in the plan is that the ability of local police to enforce immigration law is clouded at best. Most illegal aliens aren’t criminals, just being here illegally is a civil violation of fed. immigration law. Ironically, getting here illegally is often a crime, but unless you can prove how the person go here, mere unlawful presence is civil. There is a body of immigration specific court ruling saying that police can’t enforce civil immigration law.

The feds have offered varying levels of cooperation to States in designating police to enforce criminal immigration law. There is a partnership program currently underway that’s had police granted limited federal LEO powers for this purpose. There are also some statements from the former USAG suggesting that police already have the power to make arrests for immigration related crimes, which implies that the partnerships aren’t needed. Not sure how that will shake out.

But for civil violations (aliens not previously deported, wanted on warrants, or under deportation orders, etc.), I’m not sure what will happen if local police try and arrest them for ICE. I’m not sure if a federal judge might try and cut them some slack, based on their unlawful arrest, and I’m not sure if they wouln’t be able to sue the local police (and whether they could stay in the country until their case is heard).

[Charles Martel]

You don’t need a drivers license to get auto insurance...this is all about votes....

Thank you for cutting through the rhetorical B.S. Yes, it is indeed about votes - and that which the governor believes is good for his political ambitions is evidently seen as pure poison at the county level.

It's not surprising, actually - county clerks and the like actually have to deal with the people every day. The governor, it seems, is comfortably insulated from the voters. I'd trust the opinion of the guys who work where the rubber meets the road, policy-wise, any day.

[Reaganwuzthebest]

Once they are on the voting roll any attempt to purge the rolls of illegals will be meet with cries of racism and the excuse of “well we don’t know who’s legal and who’s not so there’s nothing we can do!”

It's an amnesty by fiat. There was an excellent editorial recently that the NY Times and Spitzer are pushing this so as to create legality through a backdoor means since the amnesty in the Senate failed last June. Either way they're going to get these illegals on the rolls to vote for the liberals and that's exactly why the democrats want them legalized so bad.

[jmyrlefuller]

Well, they’re still working out the details whether or not it’ll be the federal or local authorities doing the detaining, and if I were to guess, it will probably end up being the federal authorities. Seeing that both of those counties are up against the Canadian border and there’s border patrol abundant in the area, I think border patrol won’t be a problem.