Fight in New York State Over Plan to Issue Driver's Licenses to Illegal Immigrants

This is a rush transcript from "Your World with Neil Cavuto," October 8, 2007. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

NEIL CAVUTO, HOST: Well, opponents are calling it a passport to terror and a license to kill. I`m talking about New York Governor Eliot Spitzer`s plan to give illegals driver`s license. Twenty-nine Republican county clerks and one Democrat are vowing to defy their governor.

With us now is that lone Democrat, Sandy DePerno. She is the county clerk for Oneida County.

Well, either you're gutsy or crazy, but you're taking a lot on here. Why do you feel so strongly?

SANDY DEPERNO (D), ONEIDA COUNTY, NEW YORK, CLERK: Well, the New York State driver's licenses is one of the most secure documents that there is.

I don`t think this is a political issue. It shouldn't be a Republican or a Democrat issue. My constituents all talk to me, and everyone is afraid that we are going to have another incident like 9/11. And we really don`t want that to happen here, again, in New York State.

CAVUTO: Have the — the governor or his people explained why this is a good idea to you, Sandra?

DEPERNO: They told us they wanted to have a way of tracking these illegal immigrants. —Well, use something else. You can take a New York State driver's license. You go to a bank. You go to a restaurant. You go anywhere, and they use that for a form of identification. You can get on a plane with it. You can go across the border with it. Why would you want to keep track of illegal immigrants by giving them a driver's license?

CAVUTO: So, you think it legitimizes their presence here and leads to potentially bad guys doing bad stuff?

DEPERNO: Correct.

CAVUTO: OK.

Now, the reaction you have gotte from other clerks who are OK with this, what has that been?

DEPERNO: There's quite a few that are against it.

CAVUTO: How many are for it, Sandra?

DEPERNO: Not that many...

CAVUTO: Really?

DEPERNO: ... believe me.

CAVUTO: Now, the — do you have the power — excuse my ignorance, Sandra — do you have the power to say, no, I am not going to do this? In other words, are you at risk — I don't want to put you on the spot on national TV, but are you at risk for your job, saying no to your governor?

DEPERNO: Well, I am an elected official. I believe the — my constituents are the ones that vote me into office.

I do have the support of my local board of legislators and the county executive on this issue. We are all against it.

CAVUTO: The governor is — he's pushing this thing: It is the humanitarian, it's the right thing to do. This is something the Democrats believe in.

In other words, he has made it sort of like a party cause. Do you buy that?

DEPERNO: No. Like I said, I don`t think it should be a party cause. It shouldn't be a Republican or a Democrat issue.

CAVUTO: Has this made you think less of him or less inclined to support him, or is it just this issue that you disagree?

DEPERNO: It is just this issue that I disagree.

CAVUTO: And have you heard from his office at all, telling you to change your mind?

DEPERNO: No. No, I have not.

CAVUTO: Interesting. OK.

Sandra, we will see how this works out.

Gutsy lady. Let us know how — how you are doing in the meantime.

Sandra, thank you very, very much.

DEPERNO: Thank you very much.

Content and Programming Copyright 2007 FOX News Network, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Transcription Copyright 2007 Voxant, Inc. (www.voxant.com), which takes sole responsibility for the accuracy of the transcription. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No license is granted to the user of this material except for the user's personal or internal use and, in such case, only one copy may be printed, nor shall user use any material for commercial purposes or in any fashion that may infringe upon FOX News Network, Inc.'s and Voxant Inc.'s copyrights or other proprietary rights or interests in the material. This is not a legal transcript for purposes of litigation.