SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- A new law that allows illegal immigrants to get driver's licenses could soon drive up costs and drag down resources for the state Department of Motor Vehicles.

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The law is supposed to go into effect on Jan. 1, but an internal DMV memo obtained by KCRA-TV showed the difficulty in making the law reality. KCRA-TV has learned it could take more people and cost millions of dollars more than state officials expected.

The 2 million illegal immigrants in California are expected to swamp DMV lines.

"The immigrants in this state contribute a huge amount to this economy. If they need to be licensed, it makes sense that they're licensed. If that's going to create a fallout at the door of the DMV, then hire some people and get the job done," driver Steve Iverson said.

The internal DMV memo reads, in part: "We are assuming the department will submit a deficiency request this Friday for a thousand new positions to be located in 16 new temporary field offices for 12 to 18 months of operation." It goes on to say that each facility will need an average of 62 employees per site.

A DMV spokesman summarily dismissed the numbers as wrong, saying they were the result of some low-level brainstorming. But he did say top officials haven't come up with the final plan to accommodate a rush of immigrants.

Gov. Gray Davis signed the bill, Senate Bill 60, last week. His finance department said implementing it would leave the DMV in the hole by $5.5 million.

"The governor realizes there is going to be some increased costs, but we believe the agency can absorb it within their existing budget. Because of our deficit, there is no money to go around for new services of new offices or anything like that," Davis' spokesman Steve Maviglio said.