Spitzer Could Soon Seek To Nationalize License Debate

Governor Spitzer is considering a new strategy to redirect the flood of criticism of his plan to allow illegal immigrants to obtain driver's licenses, administration sources said.

Members of the governor's administration are debating whether to nationalize the issue by drawing attention away from the controversy over New York licenses and pushing it toward other issues — what they see as the failure of the federal government to determine a proper path to legal citizenship for millions of illegal aliens or develop a better way to tighten border enforcement.

In doing so, Mr. Spitzer would be seeking to change the perception that his policy is a rogue attempt to treat illegal aliens as legal residents, and to insist that it's rather a direct consequence of federal inaction.

The administration is weighing the new strategy while signaling that Mr. Spitzer, for the time being, is sticking to his license plan, despite urgings from some Democrats both in Congress and in Albany that he withdraw or at least postpone the policy in order to defuse a potential liability in next year's elections.

At a press conference yesterday, Mr. Spitzer said he disputed a report on Saturday in the New York Times that suggested the governor was open to abandoning his license plan.

"I don't think I said there was going to be a change or a delay. What I think I indicated is what I think we all understand: This is a tough issue," he said. "I certainly maintain the belief that what we proposed is the right thing to do." Aides to the governor said Mr. Spitzer has no plans to back down. "There is no reversal in the works," a senior official said. "Naturally, he's talking to people and sorting out next steps, but he's not planning to walk away from this." Mr. Spitzer has said he aims to implement a new license system by the end of next year. Under the plan, legal residents would be able to obtain new federally approved IDs, while illegal aliens would be able to apply for driver's licenses that could not be used for boarding airplanes or entering government buildings.

The governor last month announced that New York would establish a multi-tier license system that would comply with the federal REAL ID Act after his original plan of allowing illegal aliens to obtain a standard license was met with strong voter disapproval and outrage by Republicans in Albany and national anti-immigration groups.

While angering immigration and civil rights groups, the revised plan has done little to soften objections to licenses for illegal immigrants or alleviate Democratic concerns about the toxicity of the issue. Senate Clinton's shaky response to a question about Mr. Spitzer's policy during a debate only amplified fears in the party.

Tomorrow, the governor is scheduled to testify before Congress on the issue of global warming. He's also expected to discuss the license policy with New York congressional delegation members, some of whom have expressed unease with the plan.