The American public is overwhelmingly opposed to granting of driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, but the establishment, media, and the pro-open-borders lobby are pulling out the stops to defy the will of the people. This issue is festering in Congress, in state legislatures, in the courts and in the bureaucracy.

New York's Department of Motor Vehicles, taking its responsibilities seriously, wants to grant driver's licenses only to legal New York residents, and last year suspended about 300,000 driver's licenses after computerized searches discovered that they were based on fake Social Security numbers. New York's DMV contends that its efforts to verify the identity of drivers can help prevent terrorism.

In February, a New York judge enjoined the DMV from requiring Social Security cards or a satisfactory visa as a condition of license renewal. In Cubas vs. Pataki, the judge also blocked New York's suspension of the 300,000 driver's licenses.

New York's state lawmakers, led by the Black, Puerto Rican and Hispanic Caucus, retaliated against the DMV by slashing its budget by $750,000. The open-borders crowd argues that illegal immigrants should enjoy the same rights as U.S. citizens.

Other states have gotten the message about the danger of giving driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. Virginia, embarrassed by the fact that several of the 9/11 hijackers carried that state's driver's licenses, acted quickly to pass new legislation to prevent a repeat occurrence.

Congress's attempt to stop the issuance of driver's licenses to illegal immigrants passed the House in the REAL ID Act (H.R. 418) on Feb. 10 by a 261-161 vote. The act requires driver's licenses to meet certain minimum standards if they are to be recognized as proof of identity for federal purposes such as boarding a plane or entering a federal building.

A driver's license applicant must provide proof of lawful presence in the United States by means of a U.S.-issued document or valid foreign passport. The expiration date of a license issued to a temporary foreign visitor must match the expiration date of the visa.

All but 10 states already require driver's license applicants to prove legal presence in the United States. All but 14 states require verification of at least one of the documents applicants produce, and 22 states and the District of Columbia require licenses to expire with temporary visas.

The states that don't currently have these standards are a magnet not only for illegal immigrants, but also for foreign terrorists and U.S. criminals and identity thieves. Congress has a duty to close these monumental gaps in our national security, and the Senate should promptly pass the REAL ID ACT.

The Sept. 11 commission found that the 19 hijackers held 16 driver's licenses and 14 state-issued ID cards, which enabled these terrorists to rent cars and apartments, open bank accounts, take flying lessons, and otherwise blend into U.S. society while they planned their attacks. At least two of them (including Hani Hanjour, the pilot of the plane that flew into the Pentagon) were illegally in the United States (because they had overstayed their visas) at the time they obtained their driver's licenses. Continued...