Driver’s Licenses for Illegal Immigrants: Let’s Put the Brakes on this Bad Idea

Dear Friend:

Senate Democrats are at it again with their wildly out-of-touch agenda. Acting against the wishes of a majority of New Yorkers, they’re now pushing to give driver’s licenses to 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. This misguided bill is 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. 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 like you 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. This means that New York would have the most radical, open-ended such law in the entire nation.

I have led the fight against this misguided bill that 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 worth noting that 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 stop this fundamentally flawed piece of legislation from becoming law. In the remaining weeks of this year's Legislative Session, I will continue fighting to restore common sense to our state government, and against measures like this one that actually gives people an incentive to break the law.

Sincerely,

Daphne Jordan

State Senator, 43rd District