In a move that could have a devastating effect on immigrant communities in New York, including the undocumented Irish, the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) sent 112,000 letters to drivers saying that the social security number they gave on their license application does not match the Social Security Administration's records.

"This is going to impact a number of Irish immigrants," said Siobhan Dennehy of the Emerald Isle Immigration Center (EIIC). "We've gotten a significant number of calls from people at both our centers—in Woodside and in Woodlawn."

The DMV letter has given recipients 15 days to respond.

"We're not sure what the next step is going to be," Dennehy said. "We're telling people to wait for further developments."

The EIIC is adding its name to a letter that the New York Immigration Coalition is sending to Gov. George Pataki this week.

"This could be devastating for many people. It will affect their basic livelihood," added Dennehy. "You're talking about people who've been under the radar screen for years, who gave a number, a telephone number sometimes, to get into the system."

The DMV has required that driver's license applicants provide a social security number since 1995.

The recent DMV letter states: "Please be advised that if you do not contact us within 15 days of the date of this letter, we will have to take additional action, including the possible suspension of your learner’s permit, driver’s license or identification document."

"This is a new twist in enforcement," Dennehy said.

Anti-immigration advocates have long been pushing for such a move against undocumented immigrants. The Social Security Administration's sharing of its information with the DMV is generally seen as part of the tightening of security since September 11th. "This is very worrying because it's [pressure from] a federal organization," Dennehy said. "What's next?"