Erie County’s answer to driver’s licenses for illegals
Oct 30, 2007 In The News, Politics
Understandably, New York governor Eliot Spitzer’s plan to issue driver’s licenses to illegal aliens has ruffled a few feathers. One local columnist (I’m still looking for a linkable source) puts statewide opposition to the plan at 72%. I’m liking Erie County’s response, myself:
Erie County Clerk Kathy Hochul, who was appointed by Spitzer but is against the rule, has a card up her sleeve if the policy does go into effect this December.
She says she’ll follow the state rule by allowing illegals to apply for a license without the use of a social security card.
But if they do, she’ll call the sheriff’s office, and the illegal immigrants might end up getting kicked out of the country.
Erie County Sheriff Tim Howard is on-board with the plan. He says he’ll send his deputies, or call police who are close to the suburban DMV sites, to bring the illegal immigrant in for questioning.
“It doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense to me that if a person is in the country illegally we would allow them to legally operate a motor vehicle in a country that they shouldn’t even be in legally,” says Sheriff Howard.
Hochul goes into further detail on her reelection campaign page. It’s nice to see someone, especially a member of Spitzer’s party, standing up to his farcical idea with actual immigration enforcement. I doubt I have many (if any) readers in Erie County, but I’m thinking you’d do well to reelect Ms. Hochul next Tuesday.
