Senator Fred Akshar: Let's Put the Brakes on Bad Ideas Like Giving Driver’s Licenses to Illegal Immigrants

The new Senate Democrat Majority is at it again, pushing its out-of-touch agenda against the wishes of the clear majority of New York residents.

This time, they're pushing for New York to hand out driver's licenses to undocumented and illegal immigrants.

Their so-called "Green Light Bill" is yet another case of the Senate and Assembly Democrats choosing to reward those who break the law. It's a slap in the face to law-abiding New Yorkers, as well as to new Americans that have taken the appropriate steps to become citizens legally.

We asked about this issue in a recent Community Voice Survey, and of the thousands of responses we received, 85% of respondents opposed issuing driver's licenses to illegal immigrants.

They're not alone.

Earlier this year, research institutes at Siena College and Quinnipiac University each conducted their own scientific polls on the issue, and the results showed that the majority of New Yorkers statewide oppose issuing driver's licenses to illegal immigrants.

(Source: https://auburnpub.com/blogs/eye_on_ny/poll-ny-voters-oppose-giving-driver-s-licenses-to-undocumented/article_13029890-4d14-5fcd-9e53-192e83a20b13.html, https://poll.qu.edu/new-york-state/release-detail?ReleaseID=2607)

Just like their new law giving free taxpayer-funded college tuition assistance to illegal immigrants, providing driver's licenses to those here illegally creates a strong disincentive for anyone to ever follow our nation's immigration laws. It also leaves hardworking, law abiding New Yorkers footing the bill.

The vast majority of other states throughout the nation do not issue driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, and those that do issue such licenses demand substantially tighter proof of identification. Some also impose requirements designed to encourage immigrants to pursue full, legal citizenship.

In contrast, the proposal now being pushed in both the Senate and Assembly includes no such restrictions or requirements, meaning that New York would have the most radical, open-ended such law in the entire nation.

This misguided bill would let illegal immigrants apply for standard driver’s licenses using foreign identification, making it nearly impossible for county clerks and employees at local Departments of Motor Vehicles to verify authenticity. It's no wonder the New York Association of County Clerks opposes the legislation.

Another major concern is that many states, including New York, use their DMVs to enroll voters. Since New York doesn’t have voter identification laws like the majority of other states do, this bill could also increase the potential for voter fraud.

For these reasons, I believe we must Red-Light the Green Light Bill, and scrap this fundamentally flawed piece of legislation before it becomes law.

If you also oppose this bill, I need your help. The NYS Assembly is set to take up the measure as early as next week. Please contact your Assembly Representative today and tell them to put the brakes on handing out driver's licenses to undocumented and illegal immigrants. I'd also urge you to contact the Governor's office to voice your opposition as well.

While the new Senate Democrat Majority and the Democrat-led Assembly are focused on giving driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants, I'm focused on making life easier for law-abiding citizens and taxpayers gutting it out every day in an increasingly unaffordable New York.

In the remaining weeks of this year's Legislative Session, I'll continue to fight to restore common sense to our state government, and against measures like this one that actually give people an incentive to break the law.