Temporary Visitor Stamps Return to Drivers Licenses, Temporarily – New York

The move outraged immigrants’ advocates who were already angry at Mr. Spitzer over his new tiered license policy, under which the state would continue to allow illegal immigrants to obtain state driver’s licenses, but one that unlike two other kinds of new identification, would not qualify for federal purposes, such as entering government buildings or boarding an airplane.

A spokeswoman for Mr. Spitzer said that because illegal immigrants would not be able to obtain any licenses under the new plan until late in 2008, they would not discontinue the use of the “temporary visitor” stamps until then.

“This is like giving away the store,” said Chung-Wha Hong, executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition. Ms. Hong said her group had already been advising immigrants to trade in their old “temporary visitor” licenses for new ones that lacked the stamp. “It’s just a blatant step toward tying the Department of Motor Vehicles to immigration enforcement,” she said.”*

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