It’s back, the stupid argument that just because “they’ll drive anyway, you might as well make them legal“.

“(CBS) NEW YORK They were celebrating outside the governor’s office Friday as Eliot Spitzer handed a landmark victory to a half-million illegal immigrants.

The state will no longer require proof of citizenship for driver’s licenses.

“We’re changing our policy with respect to getting more people out of shadows and into the system so people don’t hide they’re here,” Spitzer said.

He said the current restrictions on non-citizens have filled the roads with unlicensed drivers five times more likely to get into accidents.

But the also called it a matter of justice.

“As long as I’m governor we won’t pretend they don’t exist, cut them off from society,” Spitzer said.

But the action triggered a bitter response from some 9/11 family members, who said the governor would be providing identification for potential terrorists.

And a Brooklyn state senator says he’ll try to overturn the decision.

“This governor has chosen to give the keys to the city, the keys to the state to terrorism,” Golden said.

As for the public, it’s clear that people have strong feelings on both sides of the issue.

“I don’t think if you’re here illegally you should have the same privileges people who are here legally do,” office manager Cliff Hoffman said.

Added legal word processor Bill Slater: “I think illegal people are getting a free ride. I don’t think it’s fair to other hard-working citizens who do work hard.”

Planning consultant John Madden said the move is also a pre-emptive strike against another type of potentially hazardous driver.

“The problem is they’re gonna drive anyway,” Madden said. “You might as well make them legal drivers with insurance.”

Nonsense. First, nothing will prevent them from returning to their own country to avoid a lawsuit after they cause an accident. Secondly, the new law violates US Code:

“A person (including a group of persons, business, organization, or local government) commits a federal felony when she or he: assists an illegal alien she/he should reasonably know is illegally in the U.S. or who lacks employment authorization, by transporting, sheltering, or assisting him or her to obtain employment, or encourages that illegal alien to remain in the U.S. by referring him or her to an employer or by acting as employer or agent for an employer in any way, or knowingly assists illegal aliens due to personal convictions.” Federal Law‚ÄîSection 8 USC 1324.”

Which means the Govenor of New York violated a federal statute in implemented his law. Additionally it also violates The Real ID Act, signed by President Bush in May 2005 – which may override.

Thirdly the assertion that the law will reduce accidents is so ridiculous as there is no study that shows that illegals are five more times more likely to get into accidents.

Fifteen other states have this law, Alaska, Connecticut, Idaho, Louisiana, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Washington and West Virginia. You’ll remember that Mohamed Atta was stopped by police but was not detained because he showed a valid driver’s license. He was an illegal alien with expired visa.

Whatever one feels about the illegal alien population, or what to do about illegal immigration, the fact of the matter is that we do have laws already on the books. If we fail to enforce them even at this most basic level then we ought to toss the entire book out.

This is what ulimately got Grey Davis recalled in California and the fact that this is happening in the state that had the greatest terrorist attack in history is mind-boggling.

Ameripundit notes, “BTW, Elliot, you do realize that driver licenses are ‚Äúproper‚Äù forms of identification to fly. Good idea.”