October 31, 2007

New York State to Put Visa Data on Driver's Licenses

The state will revive the practice of putting visa expiration dates on foreign visitors’ driver’s licenses as part of a deal between the Spitzer administration and the Department of Homeland Security, an official said on Tuesday. The change follows Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s announcement last weekend that he was revising his much-criticized plan that would have allowed illegal immigrants to obtain the same licenses as citizens. The state will now move to a new three-tier driver’s license system that complies with forthcoming federal security rules. Immigrants’ supporters and some lawmakers were already critical of Mr. Spitzer’s deal with federal officials, saying that New York should offer only one kind of license to all residents, legal or not.

Visa Data to Be Included on Driver’s Licenses Again, New York Times, October 31, 2007.