Cato Scholar Comments on Drivers’ Licenses and Immigration in New York

“Governor Elliot Spitzer has taken a sensible approach — treating his state’s driver’s license as simply that: a license to drive. He recently announced that drivers’ licenses would be available to New Yorkers without regard to their immigration status. Spitzer’s belief is that using the driver’s license as an immigration card causes illegal immigrants to avoid licensing and the training that comes with it. This increases unlicensed driving, uninsured driving, and hit-and-run driving. It raises insurance costs for legal drivers and increases roadway injuries. Spitzer is not willing to shed the blood of New Yorkers to ‘take a stand’ on immigration, which is not a problem state governments are supposed to solve anyway. “*

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