Attorney General Pam Bondi announced a lawsuit against New York state, Gov. Kathy Hochul and two other state leaders over New York’s “green light law,” which Bondi said does not comply with federal law—marking the second lawsuit of its kind under the Trump administration.
Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks at a news conference regarding immigration enforcement at the ... [+]
Bondi said the Justice Department filed a suit against the state, Hochul, New York Attorney General Letitia James and Mark Schroder, commissioner of New York’s Department of Motor Vehicles.
“This is a new DOJ,” Bondi said at a press conference Wednesday as she announced the charges—which stem from the state’s “green light law,” also known as the Driver’s License Access and Privacy Act.
The DOJ announced similar charges against Illinois and Chicago last week, alleging there were state and local laws in place “designed to and in fact interfere with and discriminate against the Federal Government’s enforcement of federal immigration law,” The Washington Post reported.
This story is developing and will be updated.
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The law, which passed and was enacted in 2019, allows all New Yorkers over 16 to apply for a “standard, not-for-federal purpose, non-commercial driver license or learner permit” regardless of their citizenship, and it provides a number of privacy protections around data sharing, “including to agencies that primarily enforce immigration laws,” according to the state.
“New York has chosen to prioritize illegal aliens over American citizens,” Bondi said at Wednesday's press conference. “It stops, it stops today. As you know we sued Illinois, and New York didn’t listen—so, now, you’re next.”
Justice Department sues Illinois and Chicago over immigration enforcement (Washington Post)