Gov. Eliot Spitzer announced Friday the state Department of Motor Vehicles will no longer require applicants to provide Social Security cards, potentially opening the door for illegal immigrants to receive a driver's license.

Spitzer said the new rules, which do not require legislative approval, will start being phased in this December.

After the Sept. 11 attacks, former Gov. George Pataki required driver's license applicants to show a Social Security number to prove their legal status. Despite defending the changes as attorney general, Spitzer now maintains New York's DMV should not be responsible for regulating immigration.

"INS is a broken organization," Spitzer said, using the acronym for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' predecessor. "I will not as governor of New York take the burden of their job and shift it onto the shoulders of every agency of the state of New York."

Under the rule changes, the DMV will accept valid foreign passports and birth certificates for identification purposes.

"You are welcome and we will not create a barrier to your participation in our society," Spitzer said to illegal immigrants.

Chung-Wha Hong, of the New York Immigration Coalition, applauded the governor's decision.

"This new policy proves it is possible to expand access while improving security," Hong said.

Oliver Dorsey, a volunteer firefighter, said the move represents a frightening trend.

"My biggest concern is getting bombed again," Dorsey said. "I believe it's going to happen again in this country because we are too lax."