Upstate New York County Clerks Refuse to Issue Driver’s Licenses to Illegals

A couple of upstate New York county clerks say they will not issue driver’s licenses to illegal aliens following the passage of a new law that allows illegal aliens to obtain the same driver’s licenses that are given to American citizens.

The law, supported by state Democrats and the big business lobby, allows the 725,000 illegal aliens to be eligible for driver’s licenses when they are of age. State officials, though, have said the law will effectively give illegal aliens the ability to vote, as Breitbart News reported.

Erie County, New York Clerk Michael Kearns — who represents the region including Buffalo — has issued a letter to state officials saying he will not give driver’s licenses to illegal aliens.

“I will not be granting driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants,” Kearns said in the letter.

Kearns wrote that the policy is “inconsistent with federal law,” and he plans to “file a declaratory action in the United States District Court” to challenge the law for being in violation of the Immigration and Reform and Control Act of 1986 which bans employers from hiring illegal aliens over Americans.

“This would be an all-out opportunity for someone who has broken the law,” Kearns told the Washington Post.

Likewise, Rensselaer County, New York Clerk Frank Merola — who represents the region close to Albany — said he too would not grant driver’s licenses to illegal aliens, saying that doing so would make American citizens in New York indistinguishable from illegal aliens.

“There’s no right to a driver’s license. It’s a privilege,” Merola told the Washington Post. “It’s not a privilege we should be giving to someone that’s here illegally.”

“I’ve never heard anybody in law enforcement come out and say this is a good idea. Not at all. It puts them in a tough position. They’re at a disadvantage here. We’re going to give [illegal aliens] a license that looks just like yours or mine,” Merola said. “They wouldn’t even know that they’re here illegally.”

In New York, American citizens only need a driver’s license to register to vote and, while applicants are required to swear that they are eligible to vote, state election officials admit that the process is based on an honor code.

California, where illegal aliens are allowed to obtain driver’s licenses as well, has been found to have a growing voter fraud issue across the state. Last year, the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) admitted that it had registered 1,500 non-eligible voters, including noncitizens, over the course of just six months.

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.