As widely reported today, Gov. Eliot Spitzer dumped his controversial policy to offer drivers’ licenses to illegal immigrants.

Basically, he finally gave in to overwhelming pressure to drop the policy and then shifted the debate to the federal government for not adopting immigration reforms.

Here’s some of his statement:

“Over the last two months, I have been advancing a proposal that I believe would improve the safety and security of the people of my state by addressing the fact that New York is home to one million undocumented immigrants, many of whom are driving on our roads unlicensed.�

“After serious deliberation and consultation with people I respect on all sides of this issue, I have concluded that New York State cannot successfully address this problem on its own. I am announcing today that I am withdrawing my proposal. Here in our nation’s capital, I wanted to talk briefly about the failed federal immigration policy and what that has meant for states like New York. I suggest to you what everyone already knows.�

“The federal government has lost control of its borders, has allowed millions of undocumented immigrants to enter our country, and now has no solution to deal with it. When the federal government abdicates its responsibility, states, cities, towns and villages still have to deal with the practical reality of that failure.

“And we face that reality every day in our schools, in our hospitals, and on our roads. In New York, that means one million undocumented immigrants, many of whom are driving without a license and without insurance, and all of whom are living in the shadows with no real identity.�

“While states lack the ability to fix our immigration laws, we do have the obligation to try to address some of their negative consequences. And so, many of us have tried. In New York, we announced a comprehensive proposal to allow New Yorkers to choose from three secure licenses.�

“This was a practical response to both the new federal travel requirements and the old federal inaction. It would have enabled us to keep our Upstate economy viable; meet the demands of federal travel requirements; make our roads safer; and bring more New Yorkers into the system, helping law enforcement officials fight crime and terrorism.�

“It would have restored the practice of licensing immigrants who do not have social security numbers, something New York had done for years, something eight other states—both “red� and “blue� states—do right now and something I continue to believe is principally the right thing to do to make our roads safer and our state more secure.�

“I continue to believe that my proposal would have improved an unsatisfactory situation. But I have listened to the legitimate concerns of the public and those who would be affected by my proposal, and have concluded that pushing forward unilaterally in the face of such strong opposition would be counterproductive. �