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The state Department of Motor Vehicles may suspend the driver's licenses of up to 300,000 people, many of whom are illegal immigrants, because their Social Security numbers couldn't be verified, the DMV commissioner testified Thursday.Commissioner Raymond Martinez called the measure an issue of homeland security. Since February, the DMV has mailed nearly 500,000 letters to people across the state whose listed Social Security numbers couldn't be verified, and more letters will be mailed. Roughly half the people who received letters corrected the problem. But Martinez said he expects 275,000 to 300,000 people will fail to provide legitimate Social Security numbers, and the DMV will move to suspend their licenses. Martinez said he did not know how many of those people are immigrants. But immigration experts said a large portion of them are illegal immigrants who may have falsely completed the DMV application. "Immigrant workers are not terrorists," said Gouri Sadhwani, director of the New York Civic Participation Project. "We are hardworking community members of the city and state." [more

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