page_title: Eliot Spitzer
section_title: Driver's licenses for illegal immigrants
hierarchical_section_title: Eliot Spitzer / Governor of New York / Driver's licenses for illegal immigrants
caption_attribution_description: Governor Eliot Spitzer and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
context_page_description: Eliot Laurence Spitzer is an American politician, attorney, educator, and real estate developer. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 54th Governor of New York.
  After serving for six years as a prosecutor with the office of the Manhattan District Attorney, Spitzer worked as an attorney in private practice with several New York law firms. He was then elected to two four-year terms as the Attorney General of New York, serving from 1999 to 2006; during this period, Spitzer became known as the "Sheriff of Wall Street" for his efforts to curb corruption in the financial services industry. Spitzer was elected Governor of New York in 2006 and served as the 54th Governor of New York from January 1, 2007 until his resignation on March 17, 2008 in the midst of a prostitution scandal.
  Since 2008, Spitzer has worked as a television host and an adjunct instructor; he also ran unsuccessfully for New York City Comptroller in 2013, engaged in real estate activity, and made private investments in a start-up company.
context_section_description: On September 21, 2007, Spitzer issued an executive order directing that state offices allow illegal immigrants to be issued driver's licenses effective December 2007. Applicants for driver's licenses would not be required to prove legal immigration status and would be allowed to present a foreign passport as identification. In October 2007, after meeting with the Department of Homeland Security, Spitzer altered the plan so that licenses issued to migrant workers would look different from other licenses and that the new licenses would not allow access to airplanes and federal buildings.
  On October 22, 2007, the State Senate passed legislation that would have overturned Spitzer's plan to allow driver licenses to be obtained by undocumented immigrants. The bill passed by a margin of 39 to 19, receiving bipartisan support. Eight Democrats from moderate districts broke with Spitzer on the vote. After the vote, The New York Times called this issue "Mr. Spitzer's single most unpopular decision since he took office".
  Following the State Senate's vote, Spitzer revised his plan again, proposing the issuance of a third type of driver's license. This driver's license would be available only to United States citizens who are New York State residents, and would be valid for crossing the Canada–US border. Spitzer also announced that the expiration dates of temporary visas would be printed on the driver's licenses of individuals living in the country with them.
  On November 14, the day following the release of a poll showing the proposal as extremely unpopular with voters, Spitzer announced he would withdraw the plan, acknowledging that it would never be implemented. The decision drew derision from the press, as the Associated Press termed this reversal a "surrender." WCBS-TV labeled him "Governor Flip-Flop." State Senator Rubén Díaz of the Bronx said he was "betrayed" by Spitzer's abandonment of the plan.
caption: Spitzer with Hillary Clinton in 2007
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