Immigration: March 2008 Archives

In a meeting with the Daily News editorial board this morning, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger made his previously ambiguous position on granting driver's licenses to illegal immigrants clear: It's not going to happen. Not under his watch.

Upon taking office nearly five years ago, Schwarzenegger promptly overturned a similar law that Gray Davis had signed into effect. Then -- and when the measure has come up in subsequent years -- Schwarzenegger said he was open to giving driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, but cited technical reasons for why he couldn't do so just yet. Throughout most of that time, he said California couldn't act until the federal government offered some clarifications on the Real ID Act.

Well, that objection vanished back in October, when New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer -- yes, that Gov. Spitzer -- struck a deal with the feds to offer Real ID-compliant licenses to illegal immigrants in the Empire State (not to be confused with the Emperors Club).

We all know how that turned out. New Yorkers revolted, Spitzer got hammered, and he ended up pulling the plug on the proposal. The fiasco devastated his approval ratings, which no doubt was a big part of why he lacked the political capital to withstand his hooker scandal.

No wonder, then, that Arnold -- who has long tried to dodge the issue anyway -- will have nothing to do with it now. When asked whether he would support licenses for illegal immigrants since Real ID is no longer an obstacle, he said, "It doesn't look good."

And why?

"Because the people of California hate it, and I represent the people."

There you have it.

Schwarzenegger also observed that this issue -- along with the budget and the car tax -- led to the undoing of Davis, and he wasn't going to repeat that mistake.

So, like other local politicians who know better than to touch this political hot potato, he called on Washington to clean up its immigration mess, and praised not only John McCain, but also George W. Bush, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama for their commitment to comprehensive immigration reform.