With his poll numbers collapsing, New York Governor Eliot Spitzer pulled the plug on his incredibly controversial plan that would have given drivers licenses to illegal immigrants.

The embattled governor made the announcement after he met with the state’s heavily Democratic congressional delegation, which had grown increasingly critical of the plan.

Spitzer aides said the decision was made because the firestorm over the issue was so fierce it was blocking the governor’s overall agenda, and there were serious concerns that various lawsuits, as well as threatened legislative action, would block the plan anyway.

Forcing the issue on the public has given the Governor his lowest approval ratings ever, with only 25% of New Yorker’s saying they would vote to re-elect him if the vote were held today.

There was also anxiety about the negative impact the issue was having on Sen. Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.

Voters oppose driver’s licenses for illegal aliens by a nearly five-to-one margin, a new Fox 5/Washington Times/Rasmussen Reports poll finds.

As immigration politics explode into the presidential race, polls show Americans are taking a hard line on benefits for illegal aliens, including opposing driver’s licenses and such taxpayer-funded benefits as scholarships at state colleges for illegal-alien students.

The new poll found 77 percent of the adults surveyed opposed making driver’s licenses available to illegal aliens, while just 16 percent supported the idea.

Licenses fared poorly across party lines, including near-blanket opposition among self-identified Republicans, at 88 percent. Among independents and Democrats, it was still overwhelmingly unpopular, drawing 75 percent and 68 percent opposition, respectively.

The Bush administration and New York cut a deal Saturday to create a new generation of super-secure driver’s licenses for U.S. citizens, but also allow illegal immigrants to get a version.

New York is the fourth state to reach such an agreement on federally approved secure licenses, after Arizona, Vermont and Washington. The issue is pressing for border states, where new and tighter rules are soon to go into effect for crossings.

The deal comes about one month after New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer announced a plan whereby illegal immigrants with a valid foreign passport could obtain a license.