February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
“The number of people deciding to move back to Ireland is way up on last year and the new license requirement is a significant factor in this,” said Siobhan Dennehy, executive director of the Emerald Isle Immigration Center in Queens.
The new rule requires production of a valid Social Security number, something the undocumented are unable to provide.
Over the years, undocumented immigrants have been able to obtain valid driving permits in New York and other states through a variety of means, one being the provision of social security numbers that are borrowed from others who are not living in the U.S., or numbers that are simply made up.
The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles has in recent months been sending out renewal letters to license holders where there is a discrepancy between social security numbers provided by individuals and the records held by the Social Security Administration in Washington, D.C.
The letter informs the recipient that New York State’s DMV now requires verification of an individual’s social security number for all learner’s permits, driver’s licenses and identification documents issued by the department.
A federal tax identification number, which is evidence that the license holder pays taxes, is not deemed sufficient for a license renewal.
The DMV letter, 4,000 of which are being sent out each week, according to DMV spokesman Joe Picchi, carries a clear warning: “Please be advised that if you do not contact us within 15 days from the date of this letter, we will have to take additional action, including the possible suspension of your learner permit, driver license or identification document.”
As of this week, no letters confirming actual suspension of licenses have been sent out by the DMV.
“There has been no determination yet about a second round of letters,” the DMV’s Picchi said.
Any such letters are certain to cause a political storm. Immigrant advocacy groups in New York have already been pressing political representatives to turn back the social security number requirement.
“It’s hard to describe where the matter is at right now, but [the DMV] seem to be staying their hand, perhaps in order to see which way the political winds go,” said Margie McHugh of the New York Immigration Coalition.
“But there seems to be no room at all for consideration of this issue beyond national security. Road safety or the likelihood that many people will end up driving without licenses or insurance seems to be irrelevant. It is very disappointing.”
McHugh said that while the DMV seemed poised to implement widespread license revocations, it was unclear when exactly the Albany-based agency would actually “pull the trigger.”
She said that the state was going after people who wanted to work hard and abide by the law rather than people who were engaged in large-scale identification theft and fraud.
“This is a policy train wreck at state level because there has been no immigration reform of the kind we need from Washington in 20 years,” McHugh said. “If a passport is good enough to get you into this country it should be good enough to get you a driver’s license.”
The threat of license revocations prompted a stormy hearing in New York City last month. The hearing was organized by several legislators concerned over the affects of the new licensing rule.
Meanwhile, at least one lawsuit has been initiated in an attempt to turn back the DMV’s revocations plans.
And questions are being raised as to the DMV’s actions in the broader realm of national security
“People are asking if the DMV is now an arm of the Department of Homeland Security,” said the Emerald Isle’s Siobhan Dennehy.
She said that there was a widespread expectation in the immigrant community that the revocation letters would start arriving in the mail in November, after the Nov. 2 elections.
“This is an election issue, but I don’t think that it has gained traction yet in the Irish community,” she said. “We would appeal to people in the community to express their concern to all candidates. This really is a serious issue.”