A wrong turn in N.Y.

When he first announced a change in state policy to make illegal immigrants eligible for driver’s licenses, New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer came out swinging. But relentless opposition prompted him to pull his punch. His recently revised policy is a timid, tiered approach that will serve mainly to embolden those who would rather punish illegal immigrants than improve public safety.

Under the original proposal, which rolled back the requirement of proof of legal status, licenses would have been issued to immigrants who could prove their identity with a current foreign passport. As Spitzer argued, the policy would have made the roads safer, reduced insurance premiums and generated millions of dollars in new license fees. And when critics protested that some of those newly privileged drivers might turn out to be terrorists, he countered that the licensing process would bring them into the system.

That’s a goal shared by other officials around the country. As Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton told The Times’ editorial board recently: “Any terrorist who wants to come in and give us fingerprints and get a photograph and current residence, come on down.”

Unfortunately, Spitzer didn’t stand his ground when Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff called last month. Instead, in an effort to comply with the federal Real ID law, he revised a bold, simple policy into a complicated compromise. He now proposes that New York issue three classes of licenses: one compliant with Real ID, available only to lawful residents; an even more secure license, which would meet the requirements of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, available to U.S. citizens; and a third, labeled “not for federal purposes,” available to all residents, legal and illegal. But why, one might ask, would someone in the country illegally apply for a license that would effectively advertise that fact?

The nativists who shouted down Spitzer’s original policy, and who object every time this issue is raised in California, want to make driver’s licenses a validation of citizenship rather than evidence of having passed a driving test. In doing so, they place their cruelty above their common sense. As Spitzer said, “The DMV is not the INS.” New York’s experience stands as a model for California to reject.