Real ID Act and NY's DMV

New York, NY —

The passage of the Real ID Act will affect all 50 states. But in New York yesterday, an effort to prohibit the issuing of driver's licenses to immigrants who cannot prove they are here legally was overruled by a judge.

The case stems from an effort in 2002 by the New York Department of Motor Vehicles, which tried to match the state's eleven-and-a-half million licensed drivers with their Social Security numbers.

The agency ended up trying to revoke the driving privelegs from about 252-thousand people who did not respond to a DMV letter asking them to provide valid Social Security numbers.

Yesterday, a judge ruled that the agency may not revoke a driver's license because a person cannot prove they are in the country legally.

Joining me now is WNYC's Cindy Rodriguez, who has covered the DMV's efforts to revoke licenses and the legal challenges to the move.