BUFFALO, N.Y. — Erie County Clerk, Michael Kearns was back in front of the media again criticizing legislation that would put driver licenses in the hands of undocumented immigrants.
What's different this time around? He had Erie County Comptroller, Stefan Mychajliw standing shoulder to shoulder with him as he announced a renewed effort to prove the legislation is a bad idea.
"As the Comptroller of Erie County, I took an oath to uphold the constitution," stated Mychajliw in a prepared press release accompanying the press conference. "On principle, I oppose any law allowing illegal aliens the right to obtain a driver license. It violates federal law. Giving licenses to illegals will have numerous and grave consequences for law enforcement and families. State leaders are acting recklessly and irresponsibly. They clearly haven't thought this through. The potential consequences of granting driver licenses to illegal immigrants are scary, especially for law enforcement."
Kearns' statements were similar to those he's made concerning this issue over the past few years, "Undocumented immigrants broke the law upon entering the United States, yet this bill provides them access to a driver's license. Immigration officials call this a 'gateway document' and fraud is a very real consequence."
Kearns explained that he had reached out to Mychajliw asking that he investigate the possible negative consequences of allowing this bill to pass.
Those supporting the legislation say the benefits of allowing undocumented immigrants to applying for driver's licenses is that they would have to pass written and road tests, ultimately making roads safer for other drivers. They argue that the driver's licenses would also make it possible for undocumented immigrants to get car insurance.
Bill co-sponsor, Assembly Majority Leader, Crystal Peoples-Stokes tells 2 On Your Side this would be a major benefit for Western New York, "Particularly for places like Erie County, where a lot of these undocumented immigrants work on farms. There are no NFTA buses that go to farms. How do you think they get there. It just makes sense for us to do this. It's the right thing to do. It's the humane thing to do."
Advocates also say the additional license fees would pump millions of dollars into state and local economies each year.
But Kearns says that it will instead overwhelm already understaffed DMV's, "To guard against fraud, DMV employees will require training to identify documents from 195 countries around the world. Even trained experts experience difficulty deciphering fraudulent documents. It's unfair to expect auto bureau employees to do so. This bill comes with unintended consequences and the taxpayers need to be made aware through this report."
Mychajliw added, "It is unconscionable for out-of-touch politicians to ignore federal immigration laws to give illegal immigrants a 'breeder document' like a driver's license. It opens a Pandora's Box that potentially puts law enforcement and families at risk. I will continue to fight these efforts on behalf of legal, law-abiding citizens,"
Considering the Erie County Clerk has been vocal in his opposition for some time, why start an investigation now? Kearns claims what spurred his current action was Governor Andrew Cuomo's announcement that he will sign the license bill if the Legislature passes it.
There are only about 11 session days left in Albany. When asked about how long this investigation might take and when they plan to get the findings in front of legislators, Mychajliw said they've already started working with law enforcement to gather information, and completing the report could just take days.
Peoples-Stokes says she's skeptical about the reasons behind the Clerk and Comptroller's announcement, "Whenever something is getting ready to happen that will raise revenue, people always try to weigh in to figure out what their part of that revenue will be. And I don't have any problem with that, but let's just be honest where we're going with it. If the DMV needs additional training then we need to figure out how to get them additional training."
In the meantime, Mychajliw and Kearns sent a letter sent to Gov. Cuomo strongly requesting that he veto the measure should it make it across his desk.
2 On Your Side reached out to the Governor's press office for a statement from either Gov. Cuomo or Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul.
Jason Conwall, a spokesman for Governor Cuomo, responded with the following statement:
"The only way to confront fearmongering is with facts and the facts are that this proposal – which would put New York in line with 12 other states, including the liberal bastion of Utah – will make our roads safer and help ensure that those behind the wheel are properly licensed and pay their fair share for licenses and insurance. Right now those costs are being shouldered by other New Yorkers, which include many of these elected official's very own constituents."
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